


In The Woods

by RandomFanWorks



Category: Guardians of the Galaxy (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Apocalypse, Daddy Kink, Depression, Domestic Fluff, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fanart, First Kiss, First Time, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Friendship/Love, Interspecies Relationship(s), Interspecies Romance, Interspecies Sex, Loss of Virginity, Male-Female Friendship, Masturbation, Rocket is super insecure, Scent Kink, Slow Burn, Suicidal Thoughts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-27
Updated: 2020-01-30
Packaged: 2021-02-27 05:28:07
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 18
Words: 28,981
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22431856
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RandomFanWorks/pseuds/RandomFanWorks
Summary: It's been a year after the infamous snap, Thanos is dead, the stones are lost, half of the universe has disappeared, and Rocket is alone.
Relationships: Rocket Raccoon/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 29





	1. Lost

**Author's Note:**

> Max, the hunters, and the characters in the town, the rest belong to Marvel! <3
> 
> The art is also done by me.

Rocket panted as he ran, darting past trees and brush as his boots kicked up dirt. His throat was throbbing and his eyes stung as the cold air invaded his lungs. He didn't know how long he had been running for, one moment he was getting supplies for the ship and the next he was getting shot at from all sides. He was fully surrounded and he was miles away from the ship, he must've gone the wrong way, he should've been there by now.

His gun was useless to him as his cold and damp surroundings froze the gears in his gun, he had reluctantly dropping once he realized what was wrong with it.

He could hear men yelling as shots continued to fire, bullets whizzing past his head and into the bark of the pine trees. He couldn't last much longer, he had been running for what felt like ages and he couldn't escape. He didn't have time to climb one of the many trees surrounding him due to how close his predators were.

Rocket suddenly stopped dead in his tracks as he reached the edge of the forest, below him was a cavern with rapids running roughly through it, large jagged rocks at the bottom. The noise was almost deafening as Rocket starred down, he had nowhere to go. He spun around as footsteps quickly approached, at least ten men appeared before him, guns drawn and aimed at him. All of the men were rough looking, dirty faces, some with long unkept beards and others with scarred cheeks.

Rocket took a step back, fear in his eyes as his gaze flickered back and forth between the men.

"Gonna catch a nice price for you," one of the heavily bearded men snickered, "Now be a good little raccoon and come with us, it'll be much easier that way."

Rocket narrowed his gaze at them, there was no way he'd go back to a lab to be poked and prodded, or locked up in a cage to be sold as a pet. He'd rather die than being in either one of those situations.

He gritted his teeth before turning back and running towards the cliff, sharp pain admitted in his side as a gunshot rang out throughout the forest. Rocket fell and it wasn't long before he found himself underwater, he was being tossed around, shoved against rocks and logs before being forced past them. His throat sore as water poured into it, his lungs began to burn as the water invaded them He tried to swim up, only being able to catch air for a split second before being drug back down into the depths.

He could feel his consciousness begin to fade as his lungs began to fill with water, his willingness to reach the surface began to dwindle. Rocket let out a grunt as he was slammed into a rock, his head bashing against it, the last of his oxygen escaping his mouth and knocking him unconscious.

\----

When Rocket awoke his vision was fogged and his head ached. He slowly began to sit up and winced as the pain in his side became aware to him. He was in a small room, posters of space hanging on the walls, a desk beside the bed he was currently laying on with a window beside him on his right. He flung the sheets off to see that he was naked, a white cloth wrapped tightly around his waist, the spot where the pain was coming from was red and damp on the soft cloth.

Rocket's eyes widened as he saw a glass of water sitting on the desk, his throat felt like sandpaper and it burned to swallow. He reached over and snatched the glass, gulping it down as droplets of water escaped the glass and fell down his neck. He took a deep breathe when he was finished, his throat satisfied with the lubrication.

He groaned as he endured the pain and hopped out of the bed, practically falling to his knees when he reached the floor. He gripped his side and groaned, his body ached and his head throbbed. He limped his way to the door, scanning the room for any type of weapon he could use in self-defense. When he found there was none he slowly pushed the door open, peeking around the corner before slowly creeping out. He froze when he heard a clang come from the kitchen, he could see the faint shadow of a human form over the counter island.

He hunched over, keeping an eye on the shadow as he passed by the couch. The door was closed, just a couple more feet and he'd be home free. He reached up to grab the knob of the door before a loud cocking sound rung through his ears.

"Stop right there," a feminine voice said, "Hands up."

Rocket frowned, annoyed and a little terrified about the whole situation. Reluctantly he held his hands high and waited for her next command.

"Turn around, do it slowly."

Rocket did as he was told, she was only a few feet away from him, a double-barrel shotgun pointed at him. Her piercing green eyes glaring daggers into him as she nudged the gun to the side, indicating for him to sit at the table.

"Go sit down, I made you food."

Rocket raised an eyebrow, why would she do that? He cautiously made his way to the table, his hands still held high. He hopped up onto the chair and watched as she made her way to the stove, the gun still pointed at him. She carefully picked up a bowl and brought it to him before sitting in front of him, not daring to let him leave her sight. Rocket stared down at the bowl, it was filled with chicken, noodles, and carrots, steam admitting from the warm broth. Rocket's stomach grumbled as he stared at it, the smell intoxicating. He jumped slightly when he heard a spoon get tossed onto the table, he picked it up and looked at her questioningly.

"Why, why are you doing all this?"

"Just eat," she grumbled, "You've been asleep for about two days now."

"Two days!" He spoke, his eyes widening, "Wha-How did I get here?"

"Just eat! I'll answer any questions you have, but for the love of god just eat the fucking soup!"

Rocket was taken back by her outburst before sheepishly grabbing the spoon and sinking it into the broth.

"S-Sorry," she sighed, "It's been a pretty stressful year."

"Tell me about it," he grumbled as he blew onto the hot liquid.

She watched as he placed it into his mouth, watching him chew the noodles and chicken he had picked up with his spoon, "Before I answer any of your questions, I want you to answer some of mine."

Rocket looked up at her and scoffed, "And why would I do that?"

"Because I saved your life," she snarled before grinning and held up the gun, "And I'm also the one with the gun."

Rocket huffed, "Fine, what do you want to know?"

"What are you, like, I know you're a raccoon but I've never seen a raccoon walk and talk before."

Rocket rolled his eyes, since coming to Earth he had seen these 'raccoons' that Peter always talked about. Sure he did look a little like them but he didn't see why everyone thought he was one, he was clearly more intelligent than them.

"I ain't no raccoon," he grumbled before taking another bite, "I don't know what I am."

She frowned, "Are you some sort of alien or something? Did you come from that giant ring that was over New York?"

"Ring, what ring?"

"There was this giant space ship over New York, it was in the shape of a ring."

Rocket had remembered hearing Banner say something about how Stark went up to the spaceship that landed in New York in order to save some wizard named Strange, that must've been what the girl was talking about.

"No, I didn't come from that."

"Then where?"

Rocket sighed and dropped his spoon into the bowl, splashing broth onto the table, "Alright my turn, who are you and why am I here?"

The girl narrowed her gaze at him, "My name's Max, I was out fishing when I came across you. You were washed up on the shoreline, you were bleeding out and unconscious. I've never seen a raccoon with a jumpsuit and a scarf before so I decided to bring you here, to my home," she placed the gun down and crossed her arms as she leaned back against the chair, "I patched you up the best I could, Any type of doctor or vet is at least about a half an hour from here and you were losing blood fast. How did you end up in the river and with that nasty cut?"

Rocket frowned as he went back to eating, "I was being chased by some idiots in the woods, one of the bastards must've shot me when I jumped into the rapids."

"The rapids?" Max scoffed, "Why would you jump into the rapids?"

"Why do you think, genius? it was either that or get sold or experimented on or whatever the hell those guys planned to do with me," he snapped.

Max's glared at him, "Alright, asshole, just remember I can kick you out whenever so you'd better watch yourself."

Rocket scoffed and went back to eating, the only noise in the cabin was the sound of the clanking of his spoon against his bowl and the soft pitter-patter of rain against the window. Rocket looked up through his eyelashes at Max, she was looking down and biting her nail, her mind clearly wondering.

"So," he cleared his throat, "You the only one here?"

Max seemed to perk up at this, her eyes widening as she stared at him, "Yes, I mean no, I mean, it's sort of complicated," she sighed before continuing, "I live here with my dad, well I did, I haven't seen him in about a year," she frowned.

Rocket's gut tightened, he had a feeling he knew why she hadn't seen him for so long, "Oh, why uh, why's that?" He asked nervously before taking another bite.

"Well, one day he had to leave to go get groceries and then he just never came back. I tried calling and texting him but he never responds, I went into town to ask around but nobody knows anything. I know he's still out there, he wouldn't just abandon me like that," Her voice trailed off as she stared at the table, Rocket nodded his head slowly, knowing what the feeling is like to be abandoned. "What about you?" Her voice breaking him out of his trance, "You got any family out there?"

"I did," he mumbled, "Not anymore."

"Oh, I'm sorry."

He merely shrugged, "Yeah, sorry about your dad."

She admitted a small smile, "Thanks," she then stood up, "You can leave if you want, I wouldn't suggest it though. The guys who were chasing you are probably still looking for you, you're unique, that means you'll sell high. They're not just going to let you go that easily."

"Thanks for the warning," he grumbled before slurping up some of the broth.

"Besides, the town is about half an hour from here and that's just by driving, and your stitches will pop open if you move too much so walking isn't a good idea," she huffed "You technically should still be in bed."

"I'll be fine," Rocket grunted as he hopped off of the chair, now fully finished with his soup. "Where are my clothes?"

"There in the laundry room, I'll go get them for you," Max said before turning away and heading down the hall, her chocolate brown curls bobbing as she walked.

Rocket stretched his neck, he was still sore. He wondered if Nebula had tried to find him? A part of him believed that she wouldn't bother due to her track record, but seeing as he was the only thing she had left, maybe she would.

"Here," Max tossed him his clothes, "I still think this is a bad idea, you're still highly prone to infection and-"

"I'll be fine," Rocket grunted as he pulled his pants up.

Max watched as he clothed himself, eyeing the scars and wiring on his back, "I uh, I never got your name."

"Rocket," he grumbled as he pulled on his shirt.

"Rocket, nice name."

"Thanks," he mumbled as he buckled his boots, "Thanks for the food and all, but word from the wise, don't open your home up to strangers."

"I usually don't, but you seemed different."

He scoffed as he tied Quill's old scarf around his neck, making sure his gauntlets were fastened as he made his way to the door. He opened it and frowned, rain poured from the sky, drenching everything in sight. The cold and damp air already making him shiver, he could only imagine what the rainwater would do.

Rocket cleared his throat as he closed the door shut and slowly turned to her, "Uh, maybe I'll just stay here until the storm ends."

Max smiled, "I'll get you some blankets."


	2. Adjustment

The storm lasted for the entire day and started to make its way through the night, Rocket sighed as he stared out the window, he supposed he'd have to spend another night here. He jumped slightly as he heard Max patting a pillow, he turned to see her fluffing it up before placing it on the couch.

"Sorry, you'll have to sleep on the couch," she sighed, "We don't have any guest rooms so-"

"It's fine," Rocket interrupted before hopping off of the window seat and onto the couch, "I should be gone by the morning, the storm should clear up by then."

Max clicked her tongue, "Hm, I don't know, they're calling for rain all week," she walked over to the window, "It feels like it's always been raining since all those people disappeared."

Rocket nodded slowly, debating if he should ask his question, "Max," he said hesitantly, "Do you think that maybe your dad-"

"No, I don't," she turned to glare at him, "That wouldn't happen."

"And why not?"

"Because it just wouldn't."

"Max, he's been gone for a year without any contact, why would he-"

"Drop it, Rocket!" She hissed, "I don't want to talk about this anymore," she turned and walked towards the hallway, "I'm going to go take a shower, make yourself at home."

Rocket winced as she slammed the door shut, guilt wielding up in the pit of his stomach. He then scoffed, why was he feeling guilty for stating the obvious? It's her own fault for not accepting the truth. No matter what he said in defense, a small voice in the back of his head told him to try and be gentle with her, she was probably still going through grief from losing her father. 

Rocket laid back on the couch with a huff, everyone had dead people, she'd have to get used to it.

\------

Rocket jolted awake as a loud crash came from the kitchen, he shot up and looked over the couch to see Max tossing a pan onto the island.

"Shit, shit, shit," she hissed as she waved her hand frantically, her eyes widening as she caught eye of Rocket, "Fuck, sorry Rocket, I'm still not good at this."

Rocket scrunched up his nose as he smelled burnt eggs, "At what, cooking?"

She sighed, "Yeah, you'd think after a year of watching cooking videos on YouTube you'd know how to at least cook some eggs."

What the hell was Youtube? He shook the question from his head as he jumped off the couch and made his way over to her.

"You uh, wouldn't know how to cook, would you?"

He scoffed, "Hell no, I mainly lived off of bar and prison food."

"Prison?" Max cocked an eyebrow.

"Y-Yeah," Rocket stuttered, "It was a long time ago, I went for things like public intoxication and shit like that."

Max gave him a weird look before turning back to the stove, "Alright, but remember I won't hesitate to shoot you if you try anything funny."

He scoffed, "I'll keep that in mind."

Max sighed as she got up on her tippy toes and pulled a box from the cupboard, "Guess we'll be having cereal today," she turned around and held up two boxes, "Lucky Charms or Cheerios? I have to warn you, the Lucky Charms are a little stale."

Rocket shrugged, "I don't know, uh, Cheerios I guess?"

She smiled, "Good choice, go ahead and sit down, I'll get you a bowl."

Rocket hummed in agreement before going to the table and taking a seat, he watched her as she pulled the milk out of the fridge.

"Hey, Max, how old are you?"

"18!" She answered as she flashed him an over-the-shoulder smile.

"18, so you were 17 when your dad disappeared?" 

Her face softened into a frown as she approached him with his food, "Yeah I was, it was a bitch finishing high school without him," She sat down and handed him his bowl before letting out a soft laugh, "You should've heard all of the conspiracy theories kids came up with for why everyone disappeared. Some said it was the wrath of God, some said it was due to climate change, some said it was due to something the government has been secretly working on, but the most common was that it was aliens," she paused to eat a spoonful of cereal, "Which I'm starting to believe more now that I met you."

"And the giant spaceship wasn't proof enough?" He questioned.

She shrugged, "You never know."

The two fell silent as they ate, Rocket's mind racing on how he'd get back to the ship without getting caught by the hunters, he'd need a weapon. He thought about taking one of Max's guns but she was just a kid, she needed all the firepower she could get. That's when a thought entered his mind.

"Hey Max, you got any other family besides your dad? Like a mom or siblings or somethin."

She sighed, "I do, I got a mom but I don't know where she's at. She left me and my dad when I was 12, cheated with some guy and ran off with him. Even if I knew where she was I wouldn't bother tracking her down, didn't help me when I was a kid, why would she help me now?"

Max grabbed her now empty bowl and walked over to the sink to was it out.

"Oh, sorry to hear that."

"It's fine, it doesn't really bother me anymore." 

Rocket raised his brow, it was obvious she was lying. She washed out her bowl and placed it in the sink before turning around. She leaned against the sink, her hands firmly placed onto the edge. 

"What about you, do you have anyone left?"

Rocket frowned, "I, uh, yeah, we're not close though."

She nodded slowly, "Do they know you're out here?"

"Maybe," he shrugged, "She doesn't really have a good track record for caring, though."

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that."

"Eh, it's fine, I'm used to it," he said as he grabbed his empty bowl and jumped down.

Max took it from him and rinsed it out in the sink, "I want to have a look at your wound, make sure it's doing ok."

He nodded, "Yeah, a-alright."

He made his way to the couch, undoing his jumpsuit before hopping up. Max soon took a seat next to him, he tensed as she got close to him. Her hands were gentle as she unwrapped the cloth that surrounded his wound, Rocket's cheeks flushing as she stared at his furry abdomen. 

"It looks fine, I'm surprised, you've been moving around a lot."

"How did you know to do this?" He questioned as she picked up a clean piece of cloth.

"My dad was a medic in the Marines, he taught me some stuff about tending wounds and some other stuff." 

"Seems like a smart guy," Rocket said quietly as she wrapped the cloth around his waist.

"He was," was all she said as she tended to him, "I mean, is!" She quickly corrected herself.

Rocket frowned, he remembered doing through denial when Nebula told him what had happened to the rest of the Guardians. It was hard enough that he lost Groot, but everyone else? It was so too much for him. He had spent days in his room, he couldn't stop sobbing and crying out as the pain of heartbreak was too much for him. The thought of the Guardians caused his eyes to sting, he cleared his throat and quickly brushed off the tear forming in his eye.

"Rocket, you ok?"

"Y-Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," he was quick to answer, "Just tired." Max nodded, pulling away to allow him to zip up his jumpsuit, "So, in your room I posters of space."

She smiled, "Oh yeah, I love space, I love looking at pictures of planets and nebulas, its amazing that something like space could exist. It really makes you feel small and makes your problems feel insignificant when you think about how big the galaxy really is," she paused and looked down at him, "Have you ever been to space?"

Rocket smirked before shrugging, "Oh yeah, maybe just a couple of times."

Her eyes lit up, "Really?! What was it like?!" 

"Um, I don't know, big? I don't know how to explain it."

"Have you ever been to other planets, were there aliens there?"

"Yeah, it's not really anything interesting though, most planets are pretty much the same. It gets boring after a while."

Max frowned, "Oh."

He winced, he felt guilty for dampening her excitement, "Well, I mean, it's boring for me because I've been to a lot of planets and met a lot of people. It's really exciting when you first start out."

That seemed to cheer her up a little, "Do you think that maybe I could go some time, like, to another planet?"

He shrugged, "Eh, maybe, I don't know, I don't think Baldy would be up to having another crew member."

"Baldy, is that your friend?"

"Huh, oh, y-yeah. Well, her name's actually Nebula, I just call her that."

"Is she like you?"

He laughed, "Hell no, she's mostly metal and blue, real moody, isn't afraid to kill ya if you piss her off."

"Sounds like a fun person to be around," Max said sarcastically.

"Yeah, she's fine," Rocket frowned as he felt his heart begin to ache, "She's all I have left."

Max frowned before gently resting her hand on his shoulder, Rocket jumped at the contact, holding back the urge to snap at her. After a few moments of the interaction, Rocket cleared his throat before jumping onto the ground.

"Well, uh, you got any plans today?"

"Yeah, I have to get some things from the shop. I'm running low on milk and a few other things, you're welcome to come with me if you want, maybe we'll run into your friend?"

"Unlikely, but I do need to get out and stretch my legs," Rocket said as he walked over to the coat hanger and picked up his scarf.

Max smiled, "Perfect, let me just go get my backpack and we'll be off."


	3. Into Town

Rocket grunted as he hopped onto the passenger seat of the old beaten up truck Max owned. He sat down with a sigh and pulled the door shut with a clang, jumping when Max tossed her backpack down at his feet.

"Hey, watch it," Rocket snapped as he lifted up his feet.

"Sorry," Max smiled before starting up the truck, the engine roaring to life as she put it into gear.

Rocket looked out the window as the trees started to pass by slowly, Max's cabin becoming smaller and smaller the farther they got.

"So you sure the humans will be alright with me just walkin around?" Rocket questioned as he looked up at her and scratched his throat. 

Max sucked on her teeth, "Yeah, I was meaning to talk to you about that."

"Oh boy," Rocket mumbled as he turned to look out the window, the river that sat next to Max's cabin still following close by their side. 

"There's a high chance that the guys who chased you will be in town, hunters like them always like to hang around the bars and strip clubs. Not to mention you're a walking and talking raccoon so everyone will be trying to talk to you and shit. So I was thinking that you can either stay in the truck or you can just chill in my backpack while I shop."

Rocket raised a brow, "You're serious?" 

"Yeah, sorry dude."

He sighed, "So much for stretching my legs."

"You can always walk on all fours," she smirked.

"Hell no, ain't no way I'm doin that," he snapped, "So if I play stupid I'd be allowed in the shop?"

She nodded, "This is a tiny ass town in the country, Rocket, people here aren't as picky when it comes to animals in stores. Hell, the one day I saw a guy carrying his skunk around in his cart."

"What's a skunk?"

Max glanced over at him with a confused you, "You don't know what a skunk is, how?"

"Look, kid, I've been on this planet for about a year now and most of that year I've spent at the Avengers base. The only animal I know about is raccoons, dogs, and birds."

Max slammed on the breaks causing Rocket to hit the dashboard.

"Ow, what the hell-"

"You've been to the Avengers base!?" Max questioned, her eyes wide with shock.

Rocket grunted as he rubbed his head, wincing as he touched it, "Yeah, why does that-"

"You've met people like Tony Stark, Bruce Banner, Steve Rogers-"

"Yeah, yeah, I've met all those idiots," Rocket grumbled as he waved his hand, "Don't see why they're so important."

"Wha-" Max shook her head in shock, "They saved the Earth from an alien invasion! They stopped a robot from taking over the world! How do you not find that important!?"

Rocket just scoffed, "Kid, my team and I saved the galaxy twice, saving one tiny little planet isn't a big deal."

"Saved the galaxy, how, from who!?"

"Oh, Jesus, just keep driving, I'll tell you about it later."

Max sighed and reluctantly started driving again. 

Rocket crossed his arms and looked up at her after a moment of silence, "So, what's a skunk."

"Oh, right," Max said, her eyes glued to the road, "Um, a skunk is a fluffy animal that's black with a white stripe down the middle. They have this defense mechanism that when they're scared or trying to ward off predators they'll aim their butt at them and spray this nasty smell. My dog would always get sprayed by them, we had to stock up on tomato juice all the time."

"And why would someone keep that as a pet?"

She shrugged, "Because some people find them cute when they tame skunks they usually de-spray them."

"How?"

"Not sure, I've never been a skunk person."

Rocket scoffed, "Don't see why anyone would be, what was with the tomato juice?"

"That's how you get rid of the smell, normal shampoo doesn't work. We nicknamed our dog Tomato because of it, every time he saw a skunk he had to chase them, never learned his lesson."

"Uh-huh, and where's the dog now?"

"Don't know, disappeared the same day my dad did. I heard that both animals and people disappeared, pet owners would come home and there would just be a pile of ash on the floor. I think that may have happened to him."

Rocket looked at her, his one brow raised, so she could accept her dog being snapped out existence, but not her dad? Rocket found that to be a little odd but then again he thought all humans were odd so he may have just been biased. 

"You shouldn't have to take any of your clothes off," Max said, "I can just tell people that you're a good boy and like dress up," she said with a grin.

Rocket winced, "Never call me that again."

Max turned her gaze to him, a devious smirk crossing her lips, "What, good boy? Who's my little good boy?" Max cooed in baby talk as she reached over and tried to rub his head.

"Stop it, don't make me bite you!" Rocket yelped as he pressed himself against the door, pushing her hand away. "Now keep your eyes on the road before you get us both killed!"

Max giggled, "I am, relax! I'm just playing around."

Rocket grumbled as he said back down, "Yeah, while drivin, real smart."

Max just grinned as she laid back against the seat, "We'll be there soon, do you want to stay in the truck or come with me?"

Rocket was silent for a moment, fears of those hunters being in the town running rapid in his mind. Maybe it was a bad idea he had come, either way, he'd be in danger. If he stayed in the truck it'd be easy for them to spot him and break in to get him, but if he went with Max they would spot him a lot easier, but then again Max would be the barrier between them and him. 

"If you come with me you can pick out your own food," Max said, interrupting Rocket's thought process.

Rocket slowly nodded, "I guess I'll come with you."

\-------------------

The truck halted to a stop once Max was satisfied with her parking spot, she leaned over and picked up her backpack, pulling out her wallet before shoving it into her pocket. Rocket's heart beat loudly against his chest, anxiety rising as he thought about the hunters. He watched in a daze as Max dumped out all of the candy wrappers, notebooks, and pencils from the backpack and into the backseat. She sat the backpack down in front of Rocket, she paused when she saw the worried look on his face.

"Rocket, you doing ok?" Max questioned, a look of concern on her face as she held open the backpack, "You don't have to come if you don't want to."

"No, no, it's fine," Rocket quickly replied. 

He slowly climbed into the backpack and made sure he was in a comfortable spot before Max zipped up the backpack up until only his arms, shoulders, and head shown. Max opened the truck door, it squealing as it swung open. Max jumped out of the truck before pulling on the backpack and slamming the door shut. Rocket pulled Max's curls away so he could see over her shoulder. The shop was surprisingly big for such a small town, a few people hung around the outside of the building, some smoking, some talking, and some begging for money.

"A lot of homeless around here," Max said under her breath, "The cities are too chaotic, people are scared and when they're scared, they become violent. Its the rich and the homeless they automatically go after, the homeless because they're easy and the rich, well you know why they'd go after them."

Rocket stayed quiet, he hadn't really thought about what the humans were going through. He mainly focused on his grieving and trying to survive. He heard some of the remaining Avengers discuss the tragedies the humans were facing but most of it went through one ear and out the other. 

"Morning Max."

Rocket snapped out of his haze as a women spoke, he turned and saw a woman only a couple of years older than Max behind the counter. She leaned over it as she looked at her phone, not even bothering to look up as Max walked past. 

"Hey Lesa, ever get a text back from Jeremy?"

The woman scoffed, "No, jackass refuses to talk to me, runs off if I so much as look at him."

Max smiled before shrugging, "Well there's always the next guy."

She just gave an affirmative grunt, her dull expression becoming shocked as she looked up from her phone and saw Rocket.

"Oh my god, you have a raccoon now?! And look at him, he's wearing a little scarf!" She cooed as she rushed over to Max. "What's his name?"

Max frowned, sensing Rocket's unease, "Oh, it's uh, Rocket, I just found this little guy one day and he seemed tame so I just kept him."

"Aw, he's such a cute little thing!"

Max's eyes widened as she brought her hand towards Rocket, she could hear a faint growl admit from the back of Rocket's throat which caused her to jump back.

"Oh, I'm sorry Lesa," she laughed nervously, "He's a little skittish, probably shouldn't pet him."

Lesa frowned, a look of confusion on her face, "But you just said-"

"Y'know it's getting late, I really need to get my groceries and head out," Max said before quickly grabbing a cart and pushing it down the aisle. 

She sighed in relief as she went down the aisle, she could feel Rocket relax, just a little. 

"Thanks," he mumbled, catching her off guard, "Didn't want that women's hands anywhere near me."

Max gave a small smile, "No problem, now, what would you like to eat? I usually get things like frozen pizzas, ramen noodles, soup, cereal, and sometimes those microwaved meals."

"Well, I don't really know anything about human food so just get whatever," he replied quietly, not wanting any more unwanted attention. 

"Oh, alright, but if you see anything that you'd like to try just let me know. I got a little extra from the fish I caught when I pulled you out of the river so I have a little more to spend."

Rocket remained quiet as they went through aisle to aisle, his eyes roaming over all the food products and taking note of all that Max added to the chart. No one gave them any trouble, some just gave looks and whispers, some would come over and coo about how cute he was, and some just straight out ignored them. The ones that ignored them were Rocket's favorites, it took every bone in his body not to snap at those who stared and tell them to 'fuck off.' 

Rocket sighed softly, hoping that Max would be done soon and they could head back to the cabin. That was when he saw a man, it was one of the men from the forest. His heart stopped and he felt like he was about to throw up, Rocket prayed to any god that existed that the man wouldn't see him. He slouched down and pushed Max's hair in front of him, trying to make sure the man didn't see him.

Max felt him move her hair and could feel his small body shaking, "Rocket, what's wrong?" She whispered, turning her head to the side to try and see him.

"We need to leave," he whispered back.

Max looked around the store and saw the man, his beard thick and curly, his hands rough and had dirt under his nails. He held basket that held beer, a small packet of ham, and a pair of pliers with some rope. Max tensed up and her heart nearly stopped when the man noticed her, she quickly looked away and began to push the cart, her heart pounding in her chest. 

"That's a cute raccoon you got there."

She winced, "Yeah, uh, thanks."

"Never seen one with a scarf before."

"Yeah, he's one of a kind," she responded with a nervous laugh.

"Oh, I bet, kind of looks familiar. I've never really seen any brown raccoons with a scarf before, well, other then three days ago that is."

"Oh really, well a lot of crazy stuff has been happening lately, maybe there's a whole swarm of brown raccoons with scarves running through the area?"

The man remained quiet as he stared at Rocket, "How'd you come across this little fella?"

"Oh, I've had him for years, had him since he was a baby."

The man nodded, his eyes still locked on Rocket.

Max cleared her throat, turning her body so Rocket would be hidden behind her, "Well, it was very nice to meet you but I need to get going."

She could feel his eyes as she walked off, her body shaking as her heart bashed against her ribcage. She was quick to leave after the encounter, neither her or Rocket saying a word until they got back into the truck. Once in they both let out a sigh of relief, Rocket falling against the seat.

"Fuck, I nearly pissed myself when that dude started talking," Max muttered as she ran her hand through her hair, "You alright?"

He nodded, "I'll be a lot better when we get back to the cabin."

She sighed before putting the keys back into the ignition, "Yeah, me too."


	4. Fishing

Rocket fell onto the couch with a sigh, fuck, it had been a long day. He kept looking in the rearview mirror to see if they were being followed, even when helping Max bring in the groceries he kept looking over his shoulder. He closed his eyes and listened to the movement of Max putting away the groceries, he felt exhausted from all the tension that man had brought.

"Hey Rocket, you hungry?" 

"Huh, oh, no I'm ok," he answered groggily.

His ears twitched as he heard footsteps approach, he opened his eyes to see Max leaning over him with a frown on her face.

"You alright?"

He nodded before closing his eyes again, "Yeah, just tired is all."

He felt her sit beside him, "That guy really freaked you out, huh?"

He just shrugged in response. Max stared down at him, watching as his chest slowly rise up and down, listening to his gentle breathing as he laid there motionless.

"You know what we should do? We should go fishing."

"What?" Rocket groaned, "Max I really don't-"

"Come one Rocket, it'll be fun, besides I could use some more money," Max said as she jumped up and ran off into the hallway.

Rocket groaned as he sat up, he'd never been fishing before and he was perfectly fine with that. He never understood the appeal of throwing a string into the water and waiting until something stupid enough bit it. When Max finally emerged she held two fishing rods and a tackle box, she smiled as she made eye contact with him.

"You don't have to stay out long, I just want you to spend at least fifteen minutes with me."

Rocket sighed and rolled his eyes, "Fine, I got nothin else better to do," he grumbled before standing up and opening the door for her.

"Oh Rocket, such a gentleman."

Rocket shot her a glare, "Keep it up and I'll stab you with a fishing hook."

Max just laughed as they walked down to the river together. Rocket sat on the grass with a frown as Max started pulling the bait out of the tackle box. Rocket stared up at the sky, he had been so distracted with the incident at the store that he didn't even realize it had stopped raining. The clouds were still gray and the air smelled strongly of rain, but there was no sight of any raindrops. 

"It stopped raining," Rocket whispered, more so to himself than to Max.

Max looked up from the bait to Rocket before following his gaze to the cloudy sky above, "Oh, yeah, the weatherman said that there shouldn't be any rain until Wednesday."

"And what's today?"

"Monday," she answered as she hooked her worm, "Alright, now it's your turn."

Rocket jumped as she pushed his rod into his arms, he stared down at the metal pole with confusion. He held it up and watched the hook dangle in front of him.

"You take the worm," Max held his hook gently, "Then you impale the it onto the hook," she hooked the worm onto the hook, Rocket wincing as the worm squirmed, "And then you can start fishing!" Max said with a smile. 

She picked up her rod and tossed the baited hook into the water, the hook landing with a blop. Rocket looked back at his hook and swung the rod forward, nothing happened. Rocket furrowed his brow and looked at the rod, there was a button below the reel, out of curiosity he pressed it, causing the hook to fall straight into the grass.

"Oh, here let me show you," Max chirped as she finally became aware of his struggles.

She planted her rod into the wet soil and took his, she pressed the button before quickly releasing it, Rocket watched as the hook shot back up to its normal spot. 

"So what you do is, you press this button, and then you throw the hook," Max said before illustrating her words. 

The hook fell into the water with a blop, Max smiled as she gave the rod back to Rocket. His cheeks flushed with embarrassment for not knowing something that seemed so simple. 

"Have you been doing this for a while?" He questioned softly as he watched the hook bob.

She nodded, "Yeah, for most of my life. Even though we lived in the city, my dad would always take me out to the woods on the weekends or on days off. That's where he taught me to fish and hunt and skin animals and stuff." 

"Oh, sounds fun," he grumbled sarcastically.

"It was, what about you, did you use to do anything fun with your dad?"

Rocket tensed as his chest tightened, "I uh, no, I didn't have a father."

"Oh I'm sorry, what about your mom?"

He shook his head, "Didn't have that either, no mom, no dad, no siblings, nothin."

Max was silent as she stared at him, her mouth slightly agape as she processed the information given.

"How," she paused, "How did you survive? Where did you come from?"

"I don't want to talk about it," he murmed, his brows narrowing with anger and pain as he thought about the past.

"Oh, I'm sorry."

They both sat in silence, the sound of the river rushing and the birds chirping echoed through the forest. Rocket slouched forward as he waited for something to happen, it felt like it had been hours since they first originally came out here. He was just about to announce his departure when Max suddenly yelped.

"Oh shit, I got one!"

She began to turn the reel as fast as she could, yanking the pole on occasion. Rocket watched with widened eyes as the fish flopped out of the water, Max let out a cheer as the fish was suspended into the air. Rocket stood by her side and watched with his mouth agape.

"Holy shit," was all Rocket could say as Max unhooked the slippery morsel.

She turned to him and smiled, "And that's one, I want to try and get at least fifteen today."

"Fifteen!? We've been out here for about an hour and just now caught one!" 

Max laughed, "Rocket, it's only been about fifteen minutes, you can go inside if you want."

Rocket frowned before returning to his spot, "No, no, it's fine, I wanna try and get one myself."

Max let out a soft laugh, the softness of it making Rocket blush. He gripped onto the pole tightly, it looked easy enough, he could totally catch a fish. 

It wasn't long before Max caught another fish, and then another, and another. Each fish making Rocket more and more annoyed and desperate to catch one. 

"Maybe your bait fell off?" Max questioned, try to hide her amusement as Rocket swore under his breath.

"Maybe," he grumbled before slamming his pole down, "Fuck, why is this so hard?!"

"It's all by chance, Rocket, you can't just make the fish come, you have to wait."

"I'm sick of waiting if one of those flarkin fish don't bite my hook in the next thirty seconds, I'ma go in and catch em!"

Max just rolled her eyes, "You have fun with that."

Rocket watched the water, his teeth gritted together as he waited for the fish. 

"Come on," he mumbled, his patience wearing even thinner than it already was.

Max sighed, "Rocket, fishing is all about waiting and-"

"OH SHIT!" 

Rocket yelled as the string on the rod tightened, the string-pulling as the fish retreated deeper into the river. 

"Crank the gear!" Max yelped.

Rocket grabbed his pole and immediately starting tugging the pole while turning the gear. He grunted as the fish pulled harder to get away, he tried to back up but was suddenly pulled. The pull catching him off guard, his foot slipping as he tumbled off of the riverside and into the water. Rocket emerged from the water gasping, the water chilling him to the very core. He looked around panting, his pole floating beside him.  
He turned around and frowned as Max laughed, she was clutching her gut as tears pricked her eyes.

"Holy shit!" She cried, "That was one of the funniest things I've ever seen!"

Rocket growled and grabbed the pole, "Shut up!"

She continued to laugh as he climbed up onto the land, his foot slipping against the wet soil and falling back in. The action only causing Max to laugh harder before slowly dying down.

Her laugh down to a breathy laugh as she watched him, "Shit, Rocket, here let me help."

She held out her hand and he grabbed it, his fur wet, making him feel a lot heavier than he actually was. 

"That must've been a big fish if it could knock you into the water like that," she sighed with her hands on her hips. 

"I just slipped," he grumbled before shaking himself off.

Max frowned, her expression turning into concern, "Hey, uh, I'm sorry you fell in, feel free to go take a hot shower, I bet I could find some old shirts you can wear while your clothes dry."

"I'm fine, thanks," his tone was quiet and annoyed, "I'm heading inside."

"Alright Rocket, my offer still stands though if you change your mind," she said as she turned back to the river. 

Rocket grumbled to himself as he made his way back to the cabin, his clothes and fur dripping as he rung out his scarf. He made his way up the stairs and into the cabin, he eyed the hallway. He wondered if he should take a shower, he was so cold and he could only imagine what type of bacteria was in the river. He needed to clean his wound and get warmed up fast. He sighed and made his way down the hall, beginning to unbutton his suit. The bathroom was larger then he expected, with cabinets and a sink, a shower and bath combo, it was all very nice. 

His clothes fell off with a wet flop, he sat them on top of the toilet before turning on the shower and waited for it to warm up before climbing in.


	5. Blackout

Max slammed the door shut and leaned back against it and she let out a sigh of relief, the weatherman was wrong about the rain. She had just gotten done catching her fish when it started pouring. She frowned as she looked down at the fish, she was going to have to freeze them which meant less money. She groaned and walked over to the freezer before shoving the fish in, she'll deal with them later, right now she had to put her fishing gear away. 

She pulled her gear over to the hall closet and stuffed them in, her head thumping on the door as she managed to get it closed after a couple of minutes of rearranging things. Her head snapped to the side when she saw the bathroom door open, Rocket walking out with a towel wrapped around his body. He tensed up as he saw her, a light blush misting his cheeks.

"I, uh, I'm sorry for how I reacted earlier," he mumbled, scratching behind his ear nervously.

She gave a small smile, "It's ok, I'm sorry for laughing."

Rocket gave a small smile in return as he looked at the ground, while he took a shower he went over in his head the kindness Max had shown him. He didn't ever expect anyone to open their home to him as much as she had, and he especially never thought it'd be a human.

"Here, let me go get you something to wear while I wash your clothes," Max said she pushed herself from the door and went into her bedroom. Rocket watched from the doorway as she opened one of the drawers and shuffled through them before holding up a tan t-shirt. "It's not much, but it should be enough until your clothes are done."

"Thanks," he said as he took the shirt.

Max left the room to get his clothes while he put it on. The shirt went to his knees and while it felt weird to wear just a shirt with no pants or boxers underneath, it'd have to do. 

Rocket jumped as a crackle of thunder rang out through the sky, he became even more alarmed when the power shut off, masking everything in darkness. The only time Rocket could see was when a flash of lightning would illuminate the room. 

"Max?" Rocket called out as he felt his way down the hall, "Maxie, you alright?"

"Yeah I'm fine, fuck, the generator must've gone out," Max called back, "Just wait there, I'll get a flashlight."

Rocket pressed himself against the wall as he heard her fumble around the hallway. The dark unsettled him, he was never really afraid of it but after going to so many planets with man-eating creatures that lived in said dark, he was always cautious of it. He was suddenly blinded by a bright light, he held up his hands to shield himself.

"Fuck, Max," he winced.

"Sorry," she replied as she aimed up the light, "I wanted to make sure I wasn't tripping over you. Now, where did I put those matches?"

She walked down the hallway with Rocket close behind her, she made her way to the kitchen where she opened some of the drawers, the civil ware rattling together as she went through drawer to drawer until she found what she was looking for.

"Ah, here they are!" She said before turning to smile at Rocket, "You like fires?"

"As long as they're not burning me, sure."

She chuckled before going back to the living room and kneeling in front of the fireplace. Rocket hopped up onto the couch and watched her light the match, the house was already starting to become cooler due to the heat being turned off. As soon as the fire was lit Max picked up the flashlight and walked towards her room.

"I'll be right back," she stated before closing the door.

Rocket watched the door for a few moments before looking back at the fire, the rain pounded against the windows as the wind howled through the trees. The sound of the wind made Rocket shiver and wrap his arms around himself, he never cared much for storms, they always made him feel so powerless and small. His gaze turned back to Max's room as she opened the door, she wore loose gray shorts then went down to her upper thigh with a black t-shirt, she held a fluffy blanket in her arms.

Rocket's heart stopped for a second as he looked at her, he was quick to look away as she walked over to him and sat beside him. She pulled the blanket over the both of them and rested her head against the back of the couch, admitting a small hum of content. 

"Did you call me Maxie?"

"W-What?" Rocket questioned as he turned his gaze to her.

"Earlier in the hall, did you call me Maxie?" 

Rocket's cheeks flushed red, "I uh, y-yeah, I did," he rubbed the back of his neck as he looked at the ground, "I dunno, I thought it would be a nice nickname, I don't have to call you that if you don't-"

"No, no," she quickly interrupted, "I like it, I've just never really had a nickname before, it's cute."

Rocket's cheeks darkened, this had been a dangerous situation. It had been years since he had any romantic physical contact and now he was sitting here sharing a blanket with an attractive woman in short shorts, with a roaring fire in the middle of a blackout. God, when he first saw her in those shorts, all he wanted to do was to run his hands up her-

"I need a drink," Rocket quickly announced before hopping off of the couch.

"Do you need help getting a glass-"

"No, I'm fine!" He was quick to brush her off as he retreated into the darkness, the light of the fire barely illuminating the kitchen.

He leaned and the cupboards of the island, making sure he was totally hidden from Max's view as he let out a quiet sigh. He needed to get out of here before he did something he'd truly regret. 


	6. Regrets (Warnings: Suicidal Thoughts and Sexual Content)

The rest of the night was awkward, to say the least. Max would try to bring up conversations and Rocket would only give one answer responses. He was thankful when Max stopped trying to make conversation and headed to bed, he, however, was upset with himself because he was certain that she was upset with him. Or maybe he was just feeling guilty for the impure thoughts that came to his mind when he watched her walk off. 

The rain stopped at about one in the morning, Rocket laid on the couch, trying to sleep. Thoughts ran through his head about the Guardians, the Avengers, the snap, Max, he thought about how lonely he was before he met her. Maybe that's why he was so desperate for her? He was still mourning and vulnerable after the Guardian's "death," desperate for any sort of warmth or affection he could get. Nebula didn't help much with his mourning, not that he really ever asked her to. She was always so quiet around him, giving him one-word responses or just nods and shrugs. It had been a year since he had a real conversation with someone, and the kindness Max showed towards him, wasn't helping. 

He rolled onto his back with a sigh, looking down his chest at Max's door. He wondered if she was asleep or not, he wondered if she felt the same way he did. He scoffed at the thought, why would an attractive human girl ever want to be with someone like him? Someone who looks the way he did, acts the way he does, says the things he says? Who in their right mind would love something like him? 

The Guardians loved him, but they were gone now. Besides, their love was different, their love was the love a family would have. No one could love him the way a spouse or partner would, he'd be forever alone in this world. Never able to experience the joys of holding hands with someone, sharing the same bed with the person you love, having children to spread your knowledge and warmth to, he'd never be able to experience any of that and that's what truly made him feel miserable. Fuck, he needed some fresh air.

He rolled off the couch, wrapping his blanket around him as he went outside. The night was chilly, the moonlight guiding him as he made his way down to the river. He sat there, blanket curled tightly around him as he watched the river flow by, the sound of frogs and crickets breaking the silence. He sighed as he fell back, looking up at the stars, the stars he had flown by in the Milano with his team, his family. He never realized how much he loved them until they were taken away from him. The Avengers kept trying to figure out ways of getting the stones back, they'd spend all night talking about it but it all lead to dead ends. Rocket finally left them when Thor did, finding no reason to stay around when all they did was talk about doing something but never did, not that they really could anyways.

Rocket tilted his head up, looking over at the house before turning back to the river. Sometimes he wished those rapids would've just killed him, at least he wouldn't be feeling the pain he currently felt, at least he wouldn't have to live with the thought that Groot and the others, the ones who deserved to live were gone. Rocket let out a sob as he curled up into himself, why was he still here? Why did it have to be him, a fucked up little experiment, surviving when good people died every day. He covered his mouth, trying to deafen the broken sounds escaping past his lips. 

He needed to stop thinking about this, he needed to feel good. He reached down beneath his shirt and gently ran his hand over his manhood. He shuddered, it had been a long time since he had done this, hell, it might've been before the snap before he last touched himself. He laid his head on the ground as he tried to muffle his sobs, his manhood beginning to harden in his hand. He closed his eyes, trying to empty his mind from all his troubles and only think about the pleasure he was receiving. 

He imagined a woman, a woman with long hair and piercing eyes that stared up at him through her lashes as she sucked on his length. He shivered at the thought and let out a soft pleasant sigh. The feeling of her hands running up his hip bones and up to his chest made him shiver, his cock starting to leak precum as his thoughts wandered. The woman's hair started to curl into thick locks, her once blue eyes turned a dark green, and her blonde hair started to darken into a chocolate brown. 

Rocket's eyes snapped open as he sat upon his elbows, shit, why did he do that, why did he think of her? He shook his head while squeezing his eyes shut, he tried to get the image of her out of his mind, but the mere thought of her soft lips around his cock caused it to twitch. He hesitantly looked back at the house before turning his gaze back to his manhood, fuck, this was so wrong. He reached back down to his aching cock and closed his eyes, the image of her manifesting before him again sent shivers down his spine. 

He wasn't going to last long if he kept this up, maybe it was the fact it felt so wrong is what made it feel so good. He knew in the back of his mind that he was going to regret this, that once he was finished he'd want to hurl himself into the river, but right now it felt so damn good. He whimpered as he writhed against the sheet, his cheeks wet from the tears and now blood red as the pleasure coursed through his veins, he was so close. That's when he conjured up another image, an image of her riding him, one hand on his chest as the other beside his head, her moaning his name loudly into the night.

That was enough to push him over the edge, his back arching as his toes curled, his eyes squeezing shut as he whimpered out her name.

"Max, Max, fuck, M-Maxie," he whimpered out as he felt his seed fall onto his shirt. 

His hips still snapping upward as he spent the rest of his orgasm. He laid there panting, basking in his afterglow, the thought of her lying beside him, warm breathe against his fur as she whispered sweet nothings to him. That's when reality set in and all of the feelings he knew would show up finally did. He sat up, feeling nothing but shame and disgust as he looked down at his shirt, her shirt, now stained with his seed. God, that river looked really nice to jump into. 

He slowly stood to his feet, his legs feeling like jelly as he wrapped the blanket around him, the blanket now dirty from the mud caused by the rain. He sluggishly made his way to the house, maybe now he'd get some sleep, he found it to be very unlikely though.


	7. Laundry (Sexual Content)

It took several hours until Rocket managed to fall asleep, his dreams plagued with nightmares of the past and present, of all of the wrongs he had committed and the hurt he had been through. When he finally awoke the sun was shining through the windows, he winced as the light hit his eyes and he was forced to roll over, pulling his blanket over his head as he did so. His eyes suddenly snapped open as he heard something small fall onto the floor next to him. He sat up and looked down to see clumps of dirt on the floor, all of it falling off of his mud-covered blanket. Rocket winced as he remembered the night before, pulling his shirt down to see the stain he had left.

“Shit,” was all he could say as he tried to figure out a way to clean this mess up before Max awoke.

“Morning Rocket.”

Rocket nearly jumped out of his skin as Max emerged from the back of the couch, resting her arms on the backrest. Rocket was quick to cover himself with the sheets, making sure that she wouldn’t notice the stain. 

“Jesus, Rocket, what’s with all the dirt?”

“Oh, yeah, sorry, I uh, couldn’t sleep last night so I just went out to get some air. I’m sorry bout the mess.”

Max frowned, “It’s fine, next time you can’t sleep let me know, I got some sleeping pills you can use. Here let me wash the blank-“

“N-No!” Rocket yelped, jumping off the couch with the blanket wrapped tightly around his body, “You’ve done so much for me, the least I can do is do is laundry!” 

“Um, ok, do you know where the detergent is?”

“I’ll find it!” Rocket called out from the hallway.

Max watched him nervously, “Well, alright, I’m going to head to town to sell the fish from last night. Think you’ll be alright by yourself for a bit?”

“Yeah, yeah, I’ll be fine, don’t worry about me!” He called from the laundry room. 

She let out a soft laugh as she watched him fumble around the small room as he looked for the detergent. 

“Alright, I’ll be back soon.”

With that she left the house, Rocket let out a sigh of relief as he heard the truck roar to life and drive down the road. He was quick to strip himself from the shirt, looking in disgust at the large stain, he couldn’t believe he had done that. He opened up the washer and chucked the shirt in before throwing in the sheet. He had a basic understanding of how washers and dryers worked, kind of had to when spending most of his year on Earth. 

He sighed, trying to think of a way to cover his naked body. He retreated into the bathroom where his jumpsuit laid neatly folded on the toilet. He picked it up and smelled it, it was dry and smelt a little like flowers. Max must’ve cleaned it before he woke up, he frowned, she had done all of this for him, maybe he should do something for her. He put on his jumpsuit before going to Max’s room. He eyed the floor, some jackets, socks, and a pair of jeans laid on the floor. If they’re on the floor that means they’re dirty, right? 

He gathered up all of the clothes and clumsily made his way to the laundry room. He shoved the clothes into the washer with a grunt before resting against it. Shit, now he knew how Gamora felt when she washed their clothes. It took him a bit to reach the detergent pods but when he did he was quick to throw it in and slamming the door shut. He turned the dial and pressed start on the machine, watching the water started to pour down onto the clothes. Perfect, now to clean up the dirt into the living room. He walked down the hall, thinking about where Max would keep her cleaning supplies when he suddenly tripped over something.

He sat upon his elbows with a groan and turned his gaze behind him so he could see what he tripped on. His foot was tangled in a piece of cloth, Rocket groaned in annoyance, thinking that he must’ve missed a sock when he pulled it off. His cheeks turned blood-red as he unfolded the cloth, it was a pair of Max’s underwear. Rocket tensed and looked over his shoulder at the door, praying that Max wouldn’t randomly enter and find him holding a pair of her panties. 

Rocket stood and gripped on to the pair tightly before rushing down the hall. Once he got to the washing machine he reached up to stop the washer when he suddenly paused and looked down at the pair of panties he had grasped tightly in his hand. The thoughts of the previous night rushing through his head, the thought of her naked body on his, her head tilted back and moaning, the way she would taste and smell. His cheeks darkened as he stared down, this was another bad idea and he knew he shouldn’t do it. But fuck, he wanted to, he wanted to so badly. He bit his bottom lip before looking back at the door, he didn’t see or hear anything.

He turned his attention back down to the black panties, pulling them open to look inside. His mouth started to water and his cock twitch as he saw a clear gooey substance on the bottom of her panties, it had a faint white color to it and the smell it was admitting was so intoxicating. It smelled sweet and of sex, it caused his mind to go fuzzy and made him feel mad with lust. He moaned softly as he brought the panties to his nose and inhaled deeply, his hand reaching down to slowly run over his clothed cock. Before he was even realizing it, his tongue began to run over the sticky sub stain. He nearly came as he tasted her, his mind conjuring up images of her lying on her bed. His head between her thighs as he runs his tongue all over her slick folds. He could feel his orgasm quickly approaching as he sucked the cotton into his mouth, trying to suck out as much of her juices as possible.

“Hey Rocket, you doing alright?”

Rocket yelped and turned around, hiding the panties behind his back as Max looked at him from the now opened door. 

“Uh y-yeah, w-what’re you doing back so soon?”

“Oh I just forgot my wallet, you need anything?”

“Uh, n-no, no, I’m fine.”

“Alright, I’ll be back soon.”

Rocket relaxed when she closed the door, God, he hoped she didn’t notice his erection. He looked at the panties in his hand, now wet with his saliva, shame beginning to rise. He sighed before tossing them into the hamper, he was so fucked up, after he gets the living room cleaned up he had to leave. 


	8. Nightmare

The rest of the day was quiet, Rocket didn’t say much to Max and would only respond with very short answers. He avoided even looking at her, his eyes staring at the ground or at the wall as she talked to him. He could tell she was getting both worried and frustrated at his lack of communication, but that was something she’d have to deal with. He should’ve left when she was in town, he should’ve left long before that actually. He didn’t know why but he was scared to leave, maybe it was the hunters, maybe it was because whenever he saw Nebula and the ship all he could do is think about his lost family, or maybe it was because he didn’t want to leave her all alone.

No matter the reason, he needed to get over it and leave. But first, he needed something to protect himself from what lies outside of his safe haven. He spent the rest of the day scurrying around the house, collecting objects that seemed useless. He even crawled under the porch to find forgotten objects. He checked the shed and Max’s truck as well, the shed giving him more than enough resources to continue on with his plan. When he finally got all of his building supplies into the house he immediately went to work. His small hands tearing off wires and unscrewing metal before hooking them together. 

His ears twitched when he felt eyes on him, he glanced back and saw Max staring at him from the island. 

“What’re you doing?” She questioned, her eyes narrowed.

“Building a gun,” he responded, not bothering to even look at her.

He tensed as he heard her approach him, “Why are you building a gun? I have like, twenty of them.”

“Because,” Rocket sighed, “When I leave I’m gonna need to protect myself and there’s no way I’m taking any of your guns, you need them more then I do.”

She let out an amused scoff, “Did you not just hear what I said? I have about twenty, you can always-“

“I’d feel a lot safer with a gun I made myself, I only use others if I absolutely have to. Besides, I don’t think your dad would be happy with you giving one of your weapons to a complete stranger,” he grumbled, deciding to humor her about her father.

Max was silent for a moment, Rocket gritted his teeth as he felt her kneel down next to him. 

“You’re not a stranger, Rocket, you’re my friend.”

He scoffed, “You have a real weird taste when it comes to friends.”

She laughed, “If you think my taste in friends are bad then you really don’t want to meet my ex’s.”

Rocket winced as a pang of jealousy ran through him. No one had the right to have her, she was his and his alone! He shook his head, he couldn’t think like that, especially about her.

“So, you’re really leaving?” She questioned, her voice sounding sad and disappointed.

“Yeah,” he muttered, “Nebula will probably start getting worried if I don’t head back soon, well, as much as she can worry.”

Max nodded, she could tell something was wrong. She had asked him earlier in the day and he just responded with an ‘I’m fine.’ She knew he should go and reunite with Nebula, go back to the last member of his family. But she really didn’t want him to, she had been alone for so long and now she finally had someone, someone she legitimately cared about. She felt selfish for her wants, she needed to let him go.

She sat and watched him for a while, taking note of how fast he was at making the gun, she found it to be oddly attractive. The gun was small, just a mere pistol but it was more than enough to protect Rocket from any trouble. It was night by the time Rocket had finished and Max had ‘made’ dinner. The two sat in silence, Max still trying to make conversation before just giving up entirely when Rocket would just shrug. 

Rocket watched her leave to the bathroom, her pajamas resting in her arms. His cheeks reddened and a shiver ran down his spine as he thought about what happened earlier that day. Her scent was still fresh in his mind. He wished he could join her as she showered, watching the water slide down her curves as washed herself, her curls soaked as she ran her hand through them. Rocket clenched his fist as a thought entered his mind, what if she touched herself while in there? 

He could feel his cock twitch as he thought about her grabbing her breast and kneading it as her fingers ran through her womanhood. Her back arching as she admitted soft moans, maybe she would think about him? Her thoughts of him licking her all over, his hands on her breasts, his tongue delving into her wet and pulsating cunt.

“Stop it,” he whispered, his hands tearing at the fur on his forehead, “Stop thinking like that.”

He ignored his arousal and hopped onto the couch, grabbing his freshly clean blanket and wrapping it tightly around himself as he curled into a ball. Tonight was going to be a long night.  
—  
Rocket tossed and turned, letting out an occasional whimper as his past replayed in his mind. It wasn’t about his time in the labs when he was getting torn apart, but about Thanos. His giant frame, the glow of the infinity stones, the way he took down all of the Avengers so effortlessly, the way Groot disappeared to ash, the conversation he had with Nebula when she told him his team, his family, was gone. 

Peter’s words continued to echo through his head, “For the record, I know you only want to go because that’s where Thanos isn’t.”

He was right, he was so fucking right, he was a coward, if only he had gone to Knowhere with his team, maybe things would’ve turned out differently. 

Rocket woke with a start, he sat up straight as sweat covered his fur. The last thing he remembered of his dream was of Thanos cornering him, the bodies of his family and the Avengers lying dead behind him. He dreamt he was the last one, the last person to fight Thanos and nothing he did could stop him. Thanos ripped his gun from his hands, tossing it far before picking him up. His large hands wrapped tightly around his body and he squeezed him, he could feel his bones snapping as they penetrated his organs, his screams of pain echoing throughout the woods of Wakanda. 

He shivered, tears running down his cheeks as his body shivered due to the fear and cold. He wrapped his blanket tightly around himself, the act pointless since they were also soaked with sweat and tears. His teeth chattered as he stared at the door to Max’s room, fuck he was cold, he needed a new blanket. He didn’t want to wake her but he had no clue where any others were, he hoped she wouldn’t be mad.

He peeled himself from the blanket and jumped off the couch, he held himself tightly as he made his way over to Max’s door. He stood in front of it for a moment, debating if he should knock or just go in. With a sigh, he brought up his tiny fist and knocked on the door. He waited for a moment before trying again, still no answer. He bit his lip, trying to quietly turn the knob and push the door open without it squeaking too loud. He tiptoed his way over to her, her brown locks were messy as she curled up under the blankets. 

“Maxie, hey, Maxie,” he whispered as he gently nudged her. 

He heard her groan sleepily, her eyes slowly opening to see Rocket, “Rocket, what’s wrong?”

“I uh, I need a new blanket.”

“Did you go outside again,” she sighed, a bit of annoyance in her voice.

“No, no, I uh,” he paused as he nervously scratched the back of his neck, “I just had a bad dream is all.”

Max’s look of annoyance softened into one of concern, she woke up more as she noticed how damp Rocket’s fur was. 

“Oh shit, um alright,” she bit her lip, “Do you uh, want to sleep with me?”

Rocket’s eyes widened as his cheeks became flustered, “I uh, a-are you sure that’s a good idea, I mean I’m pretty wet and-“

“It’s fine Rocket, I don’t mind.”

He was silent for a moment, studying her piercing green eyes as she waited for his answer.

“Shit, alright,” he whispered.

Max moved back and lifted the covers, allowing Rocket to slide under. He was immediately greeted by warmth, it filled him to the core and caused his to relax a little more. He sighed contently and nuzzled into the pillow, softly inhaling Max’s scent. 

“What was your dream about?”

He looked up to see her staring down at him, a look of concern filling her eyes.

Rocket frowned before shrugging, “Just the past.”

Max stared at him for a moment, her eyes locked on his as a lock of hair slid down her cheek. Rocket’s eyes widened as he felt her pull him against her, his head tucked under her chin and his chest flushed against hers. 

“I know what you mean, I have dreams like that too,” she whispered as her hand gently stroked the back of his head.

He began to slowly relax in her arms, the warmth she admitted causing him to become tired. He hummed against her neck, his hands resting on her shoulders as he slowly fell asleep.


	9. Fireflies

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whose ready for a long chapter!?

He still suffered from the dreams that night but was immediately comforted when he awoke with Max by his side, her arms wrapped tightly around him, keeping him protected from the outside world. He would often wake up before falling asleep again and by nine am he was tired of it and decided to get up. He gently pushed himself away from Max, her arms heavy on his waist. He froze when she began to stir, but instead of waking up she just moved her arm so she was grabbing onto her pillow instead of Rocket. 

Rocket sighed in relief and jumped off the bed before making his way to the bathroom. He quickly took a shower and dried himself off, his fur standing on end as he tried to brush them down. He then made his way to the kitchen and went ahead a grabbed two bowls of cereal, he knew Max would be up soon so he might as well get her breakfast ready too. It wasn’t long after pouring the milk in when he heard footsteps approaching, he looked up to see Max.

She was still in her pajamas, or at least what Rocket hoped was her pajamas. It was a maroon-colored oversized T-shirt that hung over her lower thigh and her hair was a tangled mess. She stretched her arms out, causing her shirt to ride up which made Rocket instinctively look away. 

“Morning Rocket,” she yawned, “Did you sleep any better?”

“Yeah, thanks,” he muttered as he passed her the bowl.

“Thank you,” she whispered before taking a bite, she looked up at him. He still was avoiding her gaze as he ate, she frowned, debating if she should even bother taking. “I missed you this morning.”

Rocket furrowed his brow and looked up at her, “What do you mean?”

Max looked down at her bowl, a light blush misting her cheeks, “When I woke up, I uh, I missed see you next to me.”

Rocket’s cheeks darkened into a deep red, his gaze snapping away, “O-Oh,” was all he could manage to say.

Max looked up at him, trying to read his face and see if she had made him uncomfortable. He didn’t seem to be too phased by the comment so she just ignored it. 

“Hey, so I was wondering, maybe we could go hiking today?”

“Hiking?”

“Yeah, you know, walking around the woods and exploring?”

Rocket winced, “Eh I don’t know Maxie.”

A shiver ran down Max’s spine as he said her name, she always loved it when he called her that. “Come on Rocket, it’ll be fun and we don’t have to stay out for long if you don’t want to.”

Rocket was silent for a moment, debating if this was a good idea or not.

“Ah fuck it,” he breathed before turning to her, “Yeah, alright, we can go hiking.”

Max smiled big and let out a tiny squeal before rushing back to her bedroom, “Alright, let me just get ready!”

“Um, do you want to finish your cereal?”

“No I’m alright, thank you!”

Rocket couldn’t help but laugh at her excitement, it had been a while since he’d been as excited as her. He cleaned out their bowls as Max got ready, quickly dashing back and forth from her bedroom, to the bathroom, to the closet, and then into the kitchen.

“Let’s see, let’s see, am I forgetting anything?” She questioned as she tapped her lip with her pointer finger.

“The kitchen sink?” Rocket snarked as he saw the large backpack she had beside her feet, “You sure you’ll be able to carry that?”

“Huh, oh yeah, I do it all the time,” she said with a wave of her hand and a smile on her face, “Let me just get us some water and then we’ll be off!”

Rocket felt bad letting Max be the one to carry such a large backpack up all the hills, but when he offered to carry something she just waved him off. They walked alongside the creek before crossing it when they came across a series of rocks that formed a natural bridge. Rocket was never really a nature person, Groot was more than enough nature for him. But he did have to admit, the fresh air, the chirping of birds, and the light breeze were very nice.

"I wonder if we'll find any of your family out here?" 

Rocket cocked his head in confusion before finally realizing what she had meant, "Haha, very funny," he spoke sarcastically with a roll of his eyes.

She laughed, "Have you ever been face to face with a raccoon before?"

"Yeah I have, it was somethin, I honestly don't get why Quill calls me that all the time, I don't even really look like 'em."

"Whose Quill?"

Rocket froze for a moment, his sudden quietness causing Max to stop and turn to him.

"Rocket, what's wrong?" She asked as her face contorted into a worried expression.

"It's uh, it's nothin Maxie, Quill was just someone I knew long ago," was all he could say before walking past her. 

She frowned and followed behind him, walking in silence for a few minutes before she decided to try and lighten the mood, "You're right about the raccoon thing, you're too handsome to be a raccoon."

Rocket froze, his face darkening, "I um, t-thanks."

She smiled, a strange thrill coursing through her veins as she caught him off guard. "Come on, we should keep moving."

Rocket slowly nodded, was she giving him hints, did she actually have a thing for him? Rocket's mind raced for what felt like hours as they walked, the possibility of someone liking him seemed so outrageous, especially when it came to a human. His mind started to wander with what-ifs, like what if she actually did like him and he decided to stay here with her? What if they settled down and started a family, oh God, what would the kids look like?!

Rocket stopped with an 'oof' as he bumped into Max's leg, she was staring off into the distance. 

"Maxie, what's wrong?"

"Shh," was all she said as she held her hand in front of him, signaling him to stay.

Rocket frowned, his ears twitching as he tried to strain his ears to hear something. He was so distracted with his thoughts that he missed the laughter that ran out through the forest. He looked over Max's leg and froze, it was the hunters. Max started to back away slowly, praying to God that they wouldn't notice them. She began walking backward and Rocket didn't realize it, he yelped out in pain as she stepped onto his foot.

She jumped off and Rocket fell to the ground quickly sliding under the brush as the hunters become aware of her presence. They all turned to her, they're guns drawn, only to become less defensive when they realized it was just some girl. 

"Jesus kid, don't scare us like that, could've blown your head off," the one laughed as he holstered his gun.

Max laughed nervously as the other men began to do the same, "Sorry, I didn't think anyone else would be out here."

Her body was tense, none of the hunters really worrying her expect one, the one from the grocery store. 

"What're you doin out here all by yourself?" The same man from before questioned, "You huntin, hikin?"

"Uh, hiking, just thought I'd come out and get some fresh air. What uh, what're you guys doing?"

He shrugged, "Just huntin, hangin out, y'know that type of thing."

"How's that raccoon of yours?" The man from the store questioned.

The men turned to look at him and then Max, "You got a raccoon?"

"Yeah, brown one, wears a red scarf."

Fear started to seep into Max and Rocket could tell, he was starting to worry about her safety. He didn't remember seeing her pick up her gun, so it was more than likely she was defenseless. He thankfully had his but he didn't want to forever scar her for killing a group of humans in front of her, even then she could still get hurt if he did that.

"Oh, he's fine, I left him home today, didn't want him wandering off."

The men stared at her for a second, the main hunter furrowing his brow as he stared at her, "Red scarf huh?"

"Y-Yeah, he loves that thing, has always carried it around since he was just a baby."

The hunter nodded slowly, sucking his teeth as he pulled out his knife and looked at it, "Ya know kid, lots of weird shit has been happenin over the past couple of years, more strange things like space ships landing over in the Avengers base, aliens comin from holes in the sky, people turning to ash, talkin raccoons, lots of weird shit."

"Talking raccoons?" She scoffed, "I mean, aliens are one thing but talking raccoons?"

The hunters didn't seem to be amused by her jokes, "Guys gotta make a livin kid, aliens cost a fortune, if you know anythin, it'd be wise to tell us."

She frowned, "Why would I know anything? All I do is hunt, fish, and-"

"Fish?"

"Uh, yeah?"

"You wouldn't have happened to see anything while fishing, have you?" Another hunter questioned.

She sighed and rolled her eyes, "No, I haven't, now I need to be getting going-"

"You're Jack's kid, right?"

Max turned sharply to look at the man from the grocery store, she glared at him, "Yeah, so what?"

"I knew your dad, he was a good man, did whatever he could to take care of you. Even if it meant killing some innocent creatures."

Max's face started to redden, "You know nothing about my father, he was never like any of you assholes."

"You sure, why do you think your mom left?"

"Because she was a bitch," her voice became hoarse, "My family affairs aren't any of your goddamn business anyway!"

Rocket stared up at her, her face was red and tears started to prick her eyes. Rocket had enough, he pulled out his gun and shot the man in the shoulder, the forest was loud with yelling as the other hunters rushed to grab their guns while others tended to the injured man. Max picked Rocket up from the bush and started to run deeper into the trees, a few of the hunters following.

"What were you thinking, Rocket!?" 

"Had to get you out somehow!"

"By fucking shooting a guy?!"

Rocket lept out of her arms and tumbled to the ground, Max stopped to stare as he stood to his feet and shook off the leaves and dirt.

"Oh, I'm sorry, next time I'll be sure to stand aside and let them fuck with you," he snarled.

They turned to look back as the men shouted, informing the others that they had Max and Rocket in their sights. Max growled and grabbed a hold of Rocket's hand and started running down the incline.

"I had it handled."

"Oh yeah, yelling at a guy with a gun is handling it."

"It's better than just straight-up shooting the bastard!"

Suddenly the ground below them fell out beneath them and they began to tumble down a steep incline, they kept rolling for what felt like ages before Max slammed into a tree and Rocket rolled to a complete stop. He sat there paralyzed for a few minutes as he heard the men yelling, the leaves that he and Max rolled along must've covered their bodies enough for the hunters to not see them. Once the forest fell into silence and Rocket stood up and shook off the leaves.

"Fuck, Maxie, that was close," he sighed as he brushed off the rest of the leaves. He frowned when he didn't hear a response, "Maxie?"

He looked over to see her sitting up against the tree, blood slowly oozing from the side of her forehead.

"Fuck, Max, are you-"

"I'm fine," she muttered as she pulled away from him.

Fear began to rise in Rocket, he quickly began to search for her discarded backpack. When he finally found it he dug through it and pulled out the first aid kit and a bottle of water. When he returned to her and tried to put a bandage on her head she pushed him away again.

"Rocket, I said I'm fine, it's just a scratch."

"I don't care, I-"

"Rocket!" She snapped as she glared at him, "Leave me alone!" 

Rocket backed away from her, taken aback from her sudden outburst. 

"I just want to go home," she said, her words softened as she looked at the ground, it almost sounded like she was going to cry.

Rocket shook his head, "Fine, fine, let's just go home."

Rocket remained quiet as Max put on her backpack, she didn't even look at him when she passed by. Rocket followed her close by, his ears constantly twitching as he listened for the hunters. While he was listening he watched Max, her frame slouched and her hair constantly falling into her eyes. Rocket began to get worried as the sun started to set and their surroundings weren't looking any familiar, though he didn't want to make Max more upset by questioning her. 

"Shit," he heard her whisper as she suddenly stopped and pressed her hand to her head, "We need to stop for a second."

"What's wrong?"

"The bleeding is getting worse," she mumbled as she shrugged off her backpack. 

"Here, you rest, I'll get the bandage," Rocket said as he opened her backpack.

She sat down with a huff, her arms wrapping around her legs as she watched him. She looked tired and upset, her vision passing through him as she went deep into thought. Rocket approached her slowly, gently cleaning off the wound before putting the bandage on. 

"You ok?" He questioned, his eyes flicking down to hers.

"Yeah, I just, I just can't stop thinking about what that asshole said."

"About your dad killing animals? I mean, you do that same thing-"

"He wasn't talking about normal animals Rocket, he was talking about you."

Rocket tensed up, "O-Oh, I uh, didn't realize that."

She shook her head, "My dad would never do that, and the shit about my mom, he has some fucking nerve bringing that up."

"He was just trying to get to you, Max," Rocket sighed, "It's hard to ignore but you have to try." She just hummed and gave a shrug, a small smile slowly forming on Rocket's face, "Bet you're glad I shot him now, aren't ya?"

She laughed, "Maybe a little."

He smiled before sitting next to her with a sigh. The sun was slowly setting, Rocket knew they should keep walking but his legs refused to let him stand. His eyes snapped to the side when he saw a small light flicker, and then another, and then another. Soon small lights started to flicker all around them, Max staring up at them as they fluttered by.

"Fireflies," she whispered, her brow furrowing, "They shouldn't be out this time of year."

"Guess the guy was right about the weird shit."

She let out an amused scoff, "Yeah, guess he was."

They both stared up into the night, watching as the fireflies slowly drift around them. 

"I used to catch fireflies with my dad when I was little, we'd keep them in jars and light up the porch with them."

"Sounds like you had a lot of good times with your dad."

She smiled, "I did."

Her smile caused him to smile too, the light of the fireflies casting a soft glow onto her face. His eyes locked onto her soft skin as she looked up into the evening sky. 

"What about you?" She questioned as she turned to him, "What did you use to do with your family?"

Rocket frowned, "Oh, I um, I didn't do much, Quill used to listen to a lot of music and shit. Groot liked to dance to it."

"Groot?"

Rocket grimaced at the name, actually hearing his name sent him into tears. Rocket tried to hold it back but after avoiding the heartbreak for as long as he had, he couldn't hold back anymore. He let out a sob, resting his face into his hands. Max's eyes widened as she watched him break down, she rested her hands on his back.

"Rocket, are you ok?"

"Y-Yeah, I-I," he paused to let out a cry, "Groot-Groot was, he was my best friend, and I failed him!" He sobbed as he curled into himself.

"Oh, Rocket," Max sighed as she pulled him into a tight embrace, "Rocket, you didn't let him down, you didn't let anyone down."

"No, no, I did, I-" he hiccuped, "He died and I was supposed to take care of his son, my son! And he's gone, I should've done more, I should've treated him better, I-"

"Rocket, you need to calm down, you did nothing wrong. You couldn't have stopped whatever happened in New York, no one could, we just have to move on," her own voice beginning to break, "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry for what you're feeling Rocket, you didn't let him down, he'd understand what happened and he'd be proud of you for taking care of his son."

Rocket cried into Max's shirt, it beginning to stain with tears and snot as he gripped onto it. In the back of his mind, he knew she was right, he knew that Groot would've been proud at how much Rocket had opened himself up to the team and to others, that he would've been proud to see him take care of baby Groot and that he would've understood why Rocket couldn't have saved him. But the pain was too much, the pain of losing everyone again was too much for Rocket, he needed this, he needed to let out the pain.


	10. Gone

Max and Rocket were able to make it home before it got too dark, both quiet as they listen to crickets, frogs, and the occasional owl. Rocket felt a little embarrassed and shameful for crying like that in front of Max, not to mention the mess he left on her shirt. Even when they got home they were quiet to one another, Rocket felt like he shared too much information, maybe he scared her, he didn't know. The only words she said to him were a quiet 'goodnight' before closing the door to her room. 

Rocket laid on the couch, eyes hurting due to the need for sleep. He had been laying there all night, tossing and turning, not being able to find a comfortable spot. His mind flooded with thoughts of Max and the way she had comforted him. He huffed as he sat up, staring at the door to her room. The thoughts he had of her just have gotten worse, especially after sharing a bed with her. Her sleeping form pressed up against him, her warm breath against his fur, her arm wrapped tightly around his waist as she pressed him into her chest. 

Rocket shivered as he felt a chill run down his spine. He sighed as he jumped off the couch, he shouldn't do this, it was bad enough he shared a bed with the 18-year-old once. He swallowed thickly before slowly pushing the door open, his body tensing when he saw her sitting up on her bed, arms wrapped around knees as she stared out the window. 

She quickly became aware of his presence and turned to look at him, "Rocket, you okay, did you have another bad dream?"

His cheeks flustered, only Groot knew about his bad dreams, the old Groot. She was getting too close, he needed to back away from this before it got too serious. Maybe it was too late.

"N-No, no I didn't, I uh, I just couldn't sleep..."

Max smiled softly as she shrugged, "Neither could I," she turned to look back out the window, "I keep thinking about my father, do you think he'll come back?"

Rocket frowned, the thoughts of his team, of his family, rushing back into his mind, "I don't know, kid, I hope so."

She nodded, before looking back at him, "Whatever happened to your family, Rocket?"

Rocket's heart ached as she mentioned his team, as much as he loved Quill, Gamora, Drax, and Mantis, it was Groot he missed the most. He was practically his son, he had let him down, he wasn't able to protect him as a father should. Tears pricked his eyes as he thought of how he let the original Groot down, and now his son. 

"When everyone disappeared, turned to ash, they went with them," Rocket cleared his throat, "I um, I'm probably going to head out soon, like maybe in the morning or somethin."

Max frowned, her face displaying fear and panic as she stood from the bed, "What, why?" Her face softened, "Did, did I do something wrong?"

"What?" Rocket's ear perked up, "No, no, no of course not, Max. I just," he paused, "I just need to go look for Nebula, she'll probably need my help with uh, stuff."

"Stuff?" Max questioned as she raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, stuff," Rocket mumbled.

She shook her head, "Rocket, what's wrong, you've been acting so weird lately."

"Nothings wrong, Max," his body tensing as she approached him.

"Really? You've been so quiet, you don't talk to me like you used to, you're always avoiding me, It's obvious I did something wrong, why won't you just tell me?" She questioned as she sat on her knees in front of him, looking directly into his red eyes. 

His throat tightened as his heartbeat quickened, "You didn't," he whispered, not being able to take his eyes off of hers, "I did."

His heart nearly stopped as he realized how close they were, Max's breath labored as she stared at him, "This is wrong," he whispered, "I can't, we can't do this, I-"

He was imminently silenced by her lips. He froze, his eyes widening as her soft lips melded perfectly against his. He let out a shaky breath as he slowly closed his eyes, his hands resting on her shoulders as she sucked his bottom lip into her mouth. He admitted a soft moan as he felt her hands rest on his sides, slowly rubbing him. His eyes snapped open as he felt his cock twitch, it slowly beginning to rise as Max deepened the kiss. 

They both gasped as he pushed her back violently, his eyes wide. Max fell onto her back and stared up at him with confusion and worry.

"Rocket, I'm sorry I-"

"No, no, Max, I'm sorry, I-," he took a step back, "I have to go, I'm sorry."

"Rocket, wait!" 

Rocket ignored her cries as he rushed to the door, picking up his gun and forgetting his scarf as it hung loosely on the coat hanger before making his way into the night. The cold air stung his face as he ran full sprint down the path, he ignored everything around him and just focused on getting as far away as possible. His eyes began to water, his throat and lungs burned, his legs began to grow weak, he had no idea how long he had been running for but when he could no longer hear Max's cries he stopped. 

He slouched over and rested his hands on his knees as he panted, gasping in as much air as he could. He eyed his surroundings, he must have left the main trail during his frenzied running, nothing around him looked familiar. He stood up tall as he finally managed to catch his breath, his throat and lungs still burning slightly as he looked around for a way out of the woods. Thankfully, the moon was bright enough to illuminate his surroundings enough so he could see where he was going.

As soon as he started to continue his current path he stopped, his ears twitching as a creaking noise echoed throughout the woods. He pulled out his gun and looked over at the area where the creaking was coming from, it looked to be runoff into a small ravine. He cautiously made his way over to it before looking over the edge. There, sitting at the bottom of the ravine was an old and rusted pickup truck, vines climbing onto the tires and the side of the truck. Rocket frowned as he stared at it, the driver side door hung open, barely on its hinges as it creaked due to the wind pushing against it.

"Rocket!" 

He turned around to see Max running up to him, still in her pajamas but with boots and a winter coat on top. 

"Max, you shouldn't be out here, you don't know-"

"Rocket, we need to talk about what happened," she panted.

Rocket shook his head, trying to figure out the words to say when he heard her swear under her breath.

"Max, wait, you don't know what's down there!" Rocket called as Max climbed down the ravine and scrambled to the truck, Rocket hot on her trail.

"Dad! Dad!" Was all Max could say as she reached the driver's side door. 

The interior was full of dead leaves, spiderwebs, dust, and an inactive beehive. The front shield was caved in and the hood was bent beyond repair. Max shoved the leaves and spiderwebs away and looked around the car desperately, only managing to find his phone and keys. Rocket watched from the outside, not knowing what to do. His eyes widened as he saw something slowly fall from the inside of the truck.

"Max, look."

Max looked up from what she was doing and over to where Rocket was pointing, a small pile of ash falling from the trunk bed and onto the grassy earth.

Max shook her head, "No, no, no, that's just dust."

"Max," Rocket sighed as she continued to rummage through the truck.

"No Rocket!" She cried out, "It's just dust, it's not him, it's not!"

Rocket could hear her voice begin to break as she just kept pleading under her breath, begging to anyone who would listen that there was still some evidence of her father or where he went. She jumped out of the truck and started to search the shrubbery around it, tears now fully falling from her eyes.

"Max," Rocket whispered as he approached her, "Max, you need to stop."

"He's not dead, he's not dead, he wouldn't leave me like this, he wouldn't, he wouldn't," Max kept whispering as she hiccuped between words.

Her searching slowed and she fell on her knees onto the ground, she let out a broken sob ah she clutched at the grass. Rocket rested his hand on her back.


	11. Stay

Sunlight streamed in through the half-opened curtains, birds chirped loudly as they flew by Max's window. Her eyes opened hesitantly, she winced as they burned from the sun and from her constant crying. She rolled over, her back facing the window as she clutched her pillow. Her father's phone sat on her nightstand, the screen cracked and glowing white as it charged. She knew there was really no point in having it, he was gone and snooping around his phone would only make her heart ache more. 

She slowly sat up, no longer wearing the winter coat or boots from last night, she didn't remember getting out of them, in fact, she didn't even remember how she got here. The last thing she remembered was sitting on the ground crying, with Rocket by her side. 

She opened the door to her room and was shocked to see Rocket sitting at the kitchen table.

"'bout time you got up, was starting to think you might be dead," he grumbled with a mouthful of cereal as he played with her phone.

Max crossed her arms, trying to keep herself warm as she mumbled, "How did you get my phone?"

He looked up at her and swallowed his food, "I keep seein humans on these things, thought I'd see what all the fuss was 'bout."

"But how did you-"

"Max, if I can escape 23 prisons I think I can figure out your password."

Max shook her head, her brow narrowing in confusion, "E-Escape, wha- what do you mean, how did I get here, what are you even doing here? You said last night you were leaving."

Max's throat was groggy and she honestly looked like shit in Rocket's opinion, but then again, everyone does when they've been crying as hard as she was. 

"I was but after we found your dad's truck I," he paused for a second before shrugging, "I just didn't want you to be alone. I guess you don't remember us walking home last night, you must've really been out of it."

Max tensed up, "So now you care about me being alone? You were all ok with leaving me here all by myself until you knew for sure my dad was dead?"

Rocket sighed, "Max that's not-"

"You were even the one who believed he was dead, to begin with, and you still left, you still wanted to leave me here all alone!"

"Max, no, I- Max, wait, Max!"

She ignored him as he called out for her as she went into her room and slammed the door shut before locking it behind her.

"Maxie, I'm sorry," Rocket called out as he pounded his fist on the door, "I-I just got scared."

"And how do you think I've felt for the past year? I was all alone until you came along and then you were just going to leave me like that, no goodbye or anything?!"

"I was, originally, but what happened last night, with the," he stopped himself, "Look, that's not important right now. I'm not leaving you now."

"But you will, at some point you will end up leaving, just like my mom, just like my dad, just like everyone else."

He could hear her voice breaking, he was surprised that she had any more tears left to cry. He sighed and rested his head against the door, she had been there for him when he needed help the most, now it was his turn. 

"Maxie," he murmured, "I'm sorry for what happened to your mom and dad, I'm sorry you have to go through this shit, I'm sorry about last night and how I reacted, but I'm not leaving you now, and I'm not going to leave you. Wherever you go I'll go with you, and wherever I go you come with me. I promise I won't abandon you."

He stood there, listening for any movement in the small room. After a few moments of silence, he decided to give up and go back to his previous task when suddenly the door open. Max stood there with red puffy eyes, they locked eyes before Max fell to her knees in front of him and pulled him into a tight hug. Rocket froze for a moment, surprised at the sudden contact, but soon melt into it. His fingers running through her hair as she buried her face into his neck.

"Thank you, Rocket," she whispered, they stayed like that for a few minutes, locked in one another's embrace until Max finally pulled away, "Now, you're going to need to explain the prison thing."

Rocket admitted a small laugh, "It's a long story."

Max simply smiled, "We've got time."


	12. Plans

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok so I wasn't sure what to draw for this chapter so I just drew a bowl, a very sad looking bowl. Anyways, hope you enjoy!

Rocket and Max sat at the kitchen table, Max eating her breakfast as Rocket explained a bit about his past. With everything she had told him about hers, well it only seemed fair that he'd reveal a bit of his past to her. He told her about his criminal record, how he met Groot and the Guardians, how they saved the galaxy from both Ronan and Ego, and explained how they met Thor and he met the Avengers, he even told her about Thanos and the Infinity stones. When he explained how Nebula returned without the others he began to choke up, having to pause to calm himself down.

Max just gave him a sympathetic look, her bowl now completely empty and had been for hours due to their conversation. She reached out and gently took his hand into hers, Rocket blushing and tensed a little as his small hand was engulfed in hers. They still didn't discuss what happened the night before, with the kiss. Rocket honestly couldn't stop thinking about it, he'd constantly catch himself staring at her lips as he talked. He'd be lying if he said that he didn't want to do it again, but right now seemed hardly the time for kissing, what with her grieving and all. 

"They seemed like nice people," Max whispered, "I'm sorry about what happened to them."

"Yeah," was all Rocket managed to say as he looked down at the table.

"Hopefully the Avengers will figure out a way to fix all of this," she sighed as she let go of Rocket's hand and leaned back against her chair.

He shook his head, "I don't think they will, it's already been a year, Thanos is dead and the stones are gone, I don't think there's any way of undoing this."

"You never know Rocket. Like you said, it's only been a year, it'll probably take them a while to come up with a good plan."

He shrugged, "Maybe, let's just hope I ain't too old to help when they do."

She smiled, "I don't think you will. So, what're you going to do now?"

"Stay with you, obviously."

"Well, yes, I know that, but is there anything you'd like to do?"

"Like what?" He questioned as he cocked his head.

Max's cheeks darkened, "Oh, I don't know, maybe try and settle down, maybe have a family?"

He laughed, "Max, look at me, you really think I'd be able to settle down?"

"You never know, there could be a foxy raccoon rummaging through the trashcan right now," she grinned. 

He just scoffed, "Yeah, no, I'm good."

She laughed which caused Rocket to smile, he loved it when she laughed. 

"Besides, I'm more into Terrians."

"Terrians?" Max questioned.

"Humans."

Her cheeks became red, "O-Oh, I see."

"What about you?" He grinned, "Do you got any bigs plans?"

She shook her head, "No, I mean, someday I would like to get married and have kids, you know, that whole thing. But for right now I've got nothing, I'll probably just keep hunting and fishing so I can get some money."

He nodded, "Why don't you go to that thing, what is it? College? I hear that that's what most kids your age do."

She just shrugged, "College isn't for me, I struggled a lot in high school, never mind college. Besides, even if I wanted to go I couldn't, I don't have any money and there's no way I'm taking out a loan."

"A loan?"

"Yeah, it's like when you borrow money from the bank and then you pay it back over time with interest."

"Oh, and how much does college cost?"

She thought for a moment, "Well, it depends on what school you go to, for how many years you're going, and what you're majoring in. Sometimes loans can be up to 85K."

He gawked, "Are you serious? You could buy a ship with that type of money."

She nodded, "Yeah, but that's what you gotta do if you want a high paying job. Well sometimes, I know a lot of people make good money in the sewage, logging, and coal industry."

"There you go, you can do that."

She laughed, "No way, I'm perfectly content with what I'm doing now. As long as I can pay for food and the bills I'll be fine," she suddenly frowned, "And Rocket, I want you to stay, but if you do you're going to have to help me with money. Which means you'll have to help me with hunting and fishing."

He nodded, "Figured as much, maybe I could make some guns for you to sell?"

She laughed, "Yeah, like that's what this place needs, guns that'll do twice the damage a normal gun would do."

He smirked, "Well yeah, what's the fun in making normal-ass guns?"

"Oh, I don't know, maybe not killing an entire civilization."

He rolled his eyes, "But that's the fun of it, you just don't know how to have fun."  
  
She laughed, "I think I'm starting to realize why you had a criminal record," she then fell silent for a moment, deep in thought. "Tell you what, you can make some guns and then we'll test them. If they're too powerful we're not selling them."

"So we'll keep them?"

She sighed, "As long as you don't blow anything up, then sure."

"Sounds like a good enough deal," he smirked.

"But Rocket, you have to make things we'll be able to sell," Max said in a stern voice.

Rocket raised his hands up defensively, "I will, I will, geez, you sound like a mom."

She grinned, "Which is a good thing if you're going to be acting like a child."

He chuckled before eyeing her clothes, "You better go get changed, I'll clean your bowl."

She smiled and nodded, as she made her way to her room she glanced back at Rocket, she was thankful he decided to stay.


	13. Fishing V2

"Let's go, Max, we're wasting daylight!" Rocket called from the door, his fishing pole and tackle box in hand.

"I'm coming!" Max called from her room.

Rocket sighed and turned to look at the lake, it had been a day since their long discussion. Rocket had already made a few guns to sell and a little something else, but he planned to keep that a surprise. 

"Alright, let's go."

Rocket turned back and blushed, she was dressed in jeans and a black tank top that perfectly displayed her breasts, she wore a flannel jacket over it and her pole was held loosely in her hand.

"You ready, Rocky?" She grinned, the nickname only causing his cheeks to redden further.

"I uh, y-yeah, w-whenever you are," he stuttered out.

"Alrighty then, let's get going."

With that, they made their way down to the river, Rocket looking at the ground as they walked. Sometimes it felt like she was doing this to him on purpose, was he really that obvious? 

"So, uh, how many are we catching today?" He questioned as he set down the tackle box.

"Oh, I don't know, I'd like to catch about three dozen but that's probably just wishful thinking."

He grinned, "Eh I don't know, I think I got something that can help us out."

Max sighed, "Oh boy, what did you make?"

"Oh, just made a little somethin that'll make fishing a hell of a lot more easier," he said as he opened the tackle box and pulled out a small metal ball with a button on top.

"Rocket, I don't know about this."

"It'll be fine," he said with a wave of his hand, "Just watch."

With that, he clicked the button and tossed it into the middle of the river. Max covered her ears and winced as a loud boom erupted and water sprayed everywhere, Max yelped as she got sprayed with water. She could hear Rocket laughing, she turned to meet his gaze with a glare.

"Look at you, you're soaking!" Rocket laughed as he clutched his gut.

She just sighed and crossed her arms, "I guess this is what I get for making fun of you for falling, huh?"

"Yeah, yeah, it is-" 

Rocket stopped himself when his eyes fell onto her breasts, now shinning due to the water and even more pronounced by how Max was crossing her arms. Max followed his gaze and blushed, quickly putting her arms down to her sides as Rocket turned away.

"That's, uh, a pretty neat way of fishing Rocket, but maybe we should try it the old fashioned way, just for now," she said awkwardly as she walked over to the edge of the river to see several fishes that were blown onto land.

"Y-Yeah, thanks, I uh, I'm gonna go look around a bit, I think I saw some fish over on the other side of the river," Rocket muttered as he slowly back away from her.

"Yeah, alright, just be careful," she replied, not bothering to turn around to look at him.

Rocket was quick to leave, his whole face was red as he made his way to the other side of the river. He couldn't believe he did that, that he stared like that. He was so humiliated, his thoughts going back to when he told her he had a thing for humans. God, now she'll probably think he has a thing for her, well, he does, but he didn't want her to know that! She'd probably be disgusted or freaked out, maybe she'd try to avoid him or hell, she might even kick him out. The kiss they shared flashed through his mind, she was the one who kissed him, why would she do that if she didn't like him? He just answered that with, it was just the heat of the moment, she wanted him to stay and she was going to do anything for that. 

Rocket groaned as he rubbed his eyes, "I'm such a fucking idiot."

\---

Max sat along the ridge, she could see Rocket on the other side of the river, picking up the leftover fish. Her face was still tinted red as she thought about Rocket and the way he stared at her. She never thought he'd do something like that, then again, he was a guy. Of course, he'd stare at any boobs that happen to be laid out in front of him. It just seemed so weird to think that Rocket, a highly intelligent raccoon, would like boobs. But then again, he wasn't just a raccoon, if anything he was more human then she could ever have possibly imagined. 

There was a strange sort of glee she felt whenever Rocket acted shy and taken back by her. It brought her a sense of power and made her feel confident. She wondered what it'd be like to become intimate with him. Would he want kids, would he ever want to settle down, how would he want to raise his children, what does settling down look like for him, what would being with him be like, what would it be like to have sex with him, has he ever had sex, what does his dick look like? 

Max shook her head, these were not the type of thoughts she should be having about her best friend. Besides, she's already seen his dick, the night she fished him out of the river and changed him she saw it. Though she didn't really remember anything about it, she was more focused on the cybernetics on his back and what he was to even worry about his penis. She often wondered about the cybernetics, always forgetting to ask him about it, she assumed it was what made him what he was and without it, he'd just be a super-smart raccoon.

"Hey, Max."

She jumped as she heard his voice, her head snapped around and saw Rocket standing behind her with his arms filled with fish.

"I uh, I'm sorry about, y'know, earlier, for starin," he muttered as he looked at the ground shamefully.

She smiled softly, "It's alright Rocket, I shouldn't be wearing this shirt anyways, it's not really proper fishing gear," she laughed. 

He gave a small nod, "Yeah, I uh, I just wanted to apologize."

She nodded, "Thanks Rocket, you're sweet."

His cheeks darkened as Max turned away, he set down the fish onto the ground before sitting next to her. They sat in silence for a while, Max catching a few fish here and there. It was about one in the afternoon when they decided to call it quits. Max told Rocket that she'd be heading to town to sell the fish and asked if he wanted to come with to which he declined, he needed to keep working on his guns and make sure they're safe before selling them. 

When Max finally returned it was late in the afternoon, she had a bag full of clothes in her hand and a smile on her face.

"Hey Rocket, I got some clothes for you."

He eyed the bag as she pulled out a t-shirt that was obviously way too big for him.

He cocked his brow, "Eh, Max, I don't think that'll fit me."

"Not yet, but I think if I can find a way to shrink them down to fit you."

"Oh, how?"

"If you wash clothes in warm water they can shrink, if I do it enough with these then maybe they'll be able to fit you."

He shrugged, "Couldn't hurt to try I guess."

"Perfect," she smiled, "I'll go ahead and put these in the wash and then I'll get supper."

He nodded before turning back to the guns he had made, they were all finished and were triple checked to make sure that they were safe, well, safe enough to sell. He then turned his gaze back to Max, a small smile forming on his face as he watched her, maybe he could have a domestic life after all. 


	14. Scars (Sexual Content)

"Flannel, really?" Rocket questioned as he held out the flannel shirt, now shrunken down to fit his size. 

"Yeah, I don't know, I thought you'd look really cute in it," Max shrugged, a light pink misting her cheeks, "Don't forget the pants, they might be a little big but that's as small as I could get them."

He nodded as he picked up a pair of jeans and a black t-shirt, "Alright, thanks, Maxie."

She smiled, "No problem, Rocket."

She watched in silence as he walked into her room and closed the door slightly, still open a crack. Max bit her lip, thoughts of when she found him flowed her mind. She remembered how she carefully unbuttoning his jumpsuit, scared that he might wake up and bite her. She remembered staring at his abdomen, feeling an urge to run her hands over his stomach and chest. The fascination she felt when she laid her eyes on his back, she wanted to trace the wiring with her fingers but didn't dare due to the fear of hurting him.

Max hesitantly walked up to the door to her room, taking a deep breath before peering behind the door and into her room. Rocket stood in the middle of her room, his scarf laying on the floor and the clothes she had given him laid neatly on her bed. Rocket's jumpsuit fell at his hips, his back fully exposed to Max as he bent over to unbuckle his boots. Max couldn't stop staring as he stripped himself of his clothes until he was just in his boxers. His ears twitched, sensing eyes on him. He looked back at her, her heart-stopping as they locked eyes.

"Pretty, ain't it?" He mumbled sarcastically as he reached for the jeans on the bed. 

"Why do you have that?" She questioned with a whisper.

Rocket shrugged, "Just how I was created."

"Does it hurt?"

"Sometimes," he responded with a sigh, "Most of the time it feels numb, like, I can feel if someones touching me but I can never feel the warmth or texture, just the pressure."

She frowned, "That sounds awful."

"You get used to it," he said as he put on the jeans, "It used to hurt a lot when I was younger, but as I've gotten older it's become less painful. Maybe I'm just getting used to the pain, I don't know."

Rocket reached for the shirt Max had given him, he was about to put it over his head when Max stopped him.

"Rocket, wait," he did as he was told and looked up at her, she blushed and bit her lip as she entered the room, her body tense, "Can I touch it?"

He cocked his brow, a bit taken back by the question.

"I understand if you don't want me to, I know it's a little weird asking-"

"Go ahead," he grumbled.

"W-What?"

He stared her dead in the eye, "I said, go ahead."

She stood there, stunned by his willingness to be touched by her. She hesitantly knelt beside him, Rocket turning so his back was facing her. He could feel an odd tingly sensation in his back which caused him to wince as her fingers ghosted over his back.

"Sorry," she whispered, "Let me know if you want me to stop."

Rocket just nodded before slowly closing his eyes shut. No one had really ever touched him there, even the old Groot didn't really touch him there much. Then again, when he was still around Rocket's back was more sensitive and prone to pain, which was one of the many reasons he didn't like to be touched.

Max was careful as she ran her fingers up his back, mapping the scars and tracing the edges where scarred skin met fur. Taking her time as she memorized every scar and implant that laid in his back. She started to run her fingers over his shoulder blades and then up to his shoulders and onto his biceps. Both of her hands gently running over the muscle and fur on either bicep before running her hands over his waist.

Rocket gasped as he shivered, "M-Maxie, wha-what're you doin'?"

She stopped, pulling her hands away by just a few inches, "I, I don't know, I'm sorry, I-"

"Can you," he paused, his breath slightly labored, "Can you keep going?"

Her cheeks became red as lewd and inappropriate thoughts coursed through her mind.

"Yes," she breathed before returned her hands back to his waist.

Rocket let out a gasp as her hands ran up his waist, slowly turning him to face her. He bit the inside of his cheek as his cock strained against his jeans, he hoped that Max wouldn't be able to see it. If she did, she didn't seem to care as she ran her hands over his belly and chest, gently pushing him onto the ground as she knelt over him. 

"Maxie," he whispered, his pupils dilated and his heart beating a mile a minute.

She just stared down at him, her mouth agape as she panted softly. Her hands beginning to run down his body, stopping when she reached the top of his jeans. She looked down and her eyes widened as she saw his hard cock bulging from his jeans.

Rocket's lust-filled haze immediately disappeared as he watched Max's expression change.

"Shit, Max, I'm sorry, I-"

He was interrupted by her lips pressing hard against his. His eyes fluttered shut as he moaned into the kiss, his hand resting on her shoulder as she placed her hands on either side of him. They pulled away after a few seconds, panting hard against one another.

"Max, I-I-" Rocket stuttered, having no idea what to say to her, "W-Why?"

"Why what?" She panted as she stared down at him.

He shook his head, cheeks red and heart aching as he whispered, "Why me?"

She let out a soft laugh, "Because I love you, Rocket."

He shivered, no one had ever really said that to him before. Baby Groot was the only one who had, but it had been so long since he had. Ever since Groot became a teenager he became distant, never wanting to hug or snuggle up with Rocket as he use to when he was just a baby. 

He shook his head, "I, I don't get it, I don't get why you would. I mean, look at me," he gestured to his body, "I'm a freak and an asshole, why would you ever-"

"Rocket," Max said as she pressed her finger to his lips, "You're not a freak, you're smart and funny and kind, well, when you want to be," she smirked, "You're so much more than just a 'raccoon,' you feel things, you communicate, you act so human you practically are one."

He looked down, "I just don't get it."

She frowned as a look of concern on her face, "Then, then maybe I should show you," she whispered.

Rocket stared as she backed away from him and slowly began to lift up her top. Rocket's eyes widened and he grabbed her shirt and shoved it down.

"Max, what're you doing!?"

Her eyes widened, taking aback due to his reaction, "Rocket, I'm, I'm sorry, I just want you to feel good, I want you to be happy."

His shocked expression turned to one of sadness, "Oh Maxie," he whispered as he shook his head, "You, you do make me happy, but you shouldn't, you know," he gestured to her shirt, "Do this to try and make me happy." 

She nodded slowly staring at the ground as her cheeks darkened with embarrassment, "What are we, Rocket?"

He stared at her for a moment before shaking his head, "I, I don't know."

She nodded a look of sadness in her eyes. Rocket frowned, he wanted her but he didn't want his issues to impact her life. She had enough shit to worry about and his problems wouldn't help. 

He hesitantly rose up and kissed her cheek, "I don't want you to have to worry about me."

She laughed, "Rocket, I'll always worry about you, that's what people do when they care for one another."

He nodded slowly as he reached for her hand, he grasped it tightly as he stared up into her eyes, "Is this really what you want?"

She nodded, "Yes, Rocket, I love you."

"I love you too, Max," he whispered before leaning up to kiss her.


	15. Intimacy (Sexual Content)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is just smut, hope you guys enjoy and thanks for reading! <3

Rocket sat on her bed, his eyes wide and mouth-watering as he watched her strip. Her soft flesh becoming more and more exposed as she slid off her shirt and jeans, her cheeks red as she slowly teased her bra straps down off her shoulders. Rocket's breathing quickened as he watched, his cock hard in his boxers, already leaking precum onto the soft fabric. 

"I've," she paused, looking at the ground, "Never done this before."

Rocket swallowed thick, finding it hard to talk, "That's ok, I uh, I haven't done this for a long time."

She looked at him shyly, "I don't want to disappoint you."

He felt a sharp pain in his chest, "Oh Max," he whispered, ushering her to come closer to him. She sat on her knees before him, his hands caressing her face as he stared into her bright green eyes, "You'd never disappoint me, I love you."

Max smiled and pushed into his hand, "I love you too, Rocket."

He smiled before pressing a kiss onto her forehead, "I'll try to be as gentle as I can and if you want me to stop just tell me and I will."

"Ok," she responded as she got onto the bed, Rocket climbing on top of her and straddling her waist as he leaned down to kiss her. 

Max moaned into the kiss as Rocket cupped her cheeks, his claws resting against her jaw before slowly trailing down her neck. He pulled away and started to kiss down her cheeks, then onto her neck, and then her chest. He looked up at her, waiting for her to give him an indication to continue.

"Rocket, please," she whispered, her cheeks flushed red.

"Please what, Max?"

"I," she breathed, "I want more, please."

He smiled and placed a kiss onto her breast before pushing her bra down to expose her plump breasts. He stared down at them, his mouth watering as her nipples hardened in the cool air. He reached down and placed his hands on them, filling his hands as much as he could before starting to knead them. His cock twitched as he heard her moan, her eyes fluttering shut as her head fell back.

"Rocket," she purred as she gripped the sheets.

Rocket let out a shaky breath, he wasn't going to last long, he could tell. He was already grinding his hips against her belly, a soft growl admitting from the back of his throat as he rocked his hips against her. Max ran her hands over his belly and chest, his fur caressing her fingers as she ran then down and pulled at his jeans. Rocket stood and began to take off his jeans while Max pulled off her bra and tossed it to the floor. Rocket hesitated when he got to his boxers, nervous at how Max will react to seeing his cock.

"Rocket, you ok?" She questioned as she rested her hands on his hips, thumbs placed in the waistband of his boxers but not daring to pull it down yet.

"Y-Yeah, I'm fine, just a little nervous if I'm bein' honest," he laughed nervously.

She smiled and kissed his cheek, "I'm glad I'm not the only one, don't worry, I'm not going to judge."

Rocket bit his lip, his shoulders tensing as she began to slowly pull down his boxers, "O-Ok..."

His cock bounced out and slapped his belly, it was wet with precum and the tip glistened as more emerged from its confinements. Max blushed as she stared at it, it was human, a part of her thanked his creator for it as she ran her hand over it. Rocket gasped and thrust his hips into her hand.

"F-Fuck, sorry, I, it's, uh, it's been a while, l-like I said earlier," he muttered, his hands gripping the sheets as she ran her finger over his slit, he hissed in pleasure at the contact.

She smiled, "It's alright, Rocket, this night is as much about you as it is for me."

She began to move her hand up and down his cock, occasionally stopping at his head so she could play with the slit. 

Rocket whimpered, "Max, fuck, stop," he gasped, "I'm so close, you need to stop."

Max pulled away reluctantly, watching in satisfaction as Rocket gasped for air. 

"Fuck, Maxie, you sure you're a virgin?" He panted.

Her cheeks darkened from the compliment, "I'm pretty sure."

He chuckled before pulling her into a kiss, "I uh, better get started."

She tensed as he pushed her back, his hands on her thighs, pushing them open so he could look at her clothed womanhood. She bit her lip, her panties were plain, nothing cute or sexy about them. Her mind raised with what Rocket would think, what if her privates grossed him out, they seemed normal to her but maybe she was wrong. 

"I'm sorry," she murmured, causing Rocket to look up, "I'm sorry their so, you know, plain."

Rocket scuffed, "Why're you apologizin'? They're perfect," he purred before pulling them off.

He stared down at her womanhood, it was perfect, just the right amount of hair for him. He licked his lips hungrily before looking up at Max, her hands covering her face as she looked away.

"Maxie," he whispered, "You're perfect," he began to kiss her thigh, "So beautiful," he kissed her womanhood, causing her to gasp, "And sweet," his tongue began to delve into her, "And fuck, you taste so good."

Max moaned as she arched her back, one hand covering her mouth as the other gripped his fur. Rocket pulled away so he could grasp her hand that covered her mouth.

"No, Maxie, don't do that, I want to hear you," he whispered before going back to licking her.

He moaned against her clit as he lapped up her juices, she tasted and smelled so much better than he ever imagined. She was so sweet, he couldn't stop licking over her hole, trying to get as much of her juices as possible. His tongue probed her as his left hand held onto hers, squeezing it tightly as she started to rock her hips.

"Fuck, Rocket!" Max gasped as she pushed up against him.

Rocket chuckled before reluctantly pulling away, licking his lips clean of her juices, "Are you ready for more?"

She panted as she stared at him, "Yes, fuck yes, Rocket, please, give it to me."

He shivered as he heard her whisper such filthy things to him, "Fuck, alright, I'll go slow," he murmured as he grabbed his cock and ran the tip over her soaking wet pussy. "Have you ever touched yourself before?"

She nodded, "Yes, I," she paused as she looked away from him, "I used to think about you when I did it."

Rocket moaned at the thought of her fingering while thinking about him. He wondered when she had done it if she had done it in the shower or waited until late at night to do it. God, the thought of her touching herself in the next room over to him while he slept made his cock twitch.

"Fuck, Maxie, that's.... Holy shit... I'm uh, I'm glad I'm not the only one."

She could've came right then just from his words, the thought of him touching himself to the thought of her caused her to shiver. He pushed his cockhead slowly into her hole, she gasped as he stretched her.

"Shh, shh, it's ok Max, the pain will go away soon," he soothed before pushing in more.

Max bit her lip as he stretched her, he may have been average in length but he was quite large in girth. Once he was fully in her she let out a sigh of relief, Rocket kissed her belly and rubbed her hip as he praised her for doing so well. It was so hard not to move, she was so tight and warm he had to control himself from thrusting into her without abandon. 

"Rocket, you can move now," she whispered, her hand tightening onto his.

"Alright Maxie, alright, just tell me if anything hurts," he replied before slowly pulling out before pushing back in.

Max whimpered, closing her eyes as a mixture of pleasure and pain coursed through her. She ground her hips against him, tightening her walls as she tried to chase the pleasure. Rocket gasped as she tightened around him, his hand gripping her hip as he quickened his pace. 

Max whimpered as her head fell back, "Fuck, Rocket, Rocket please!"

He whimpered, "Max, fuck, Maxie, you feel so fucking good."

She wrapped her legs around him, trying to pull him even closer, now nothing but pleasure coursing through her veins. Rocket was so close, he was embarrassed about how close he was. He needed her to cum, he reached down and ran his fingers over her clit, rubbing it hard and fast as he pounded into her.

"Fuck, Rocket!" She cried out as her back arched, "Fuck, fuck, Rocket, please, oh god, please!"

"Fuck, Max, I'm close!"

Max tightened her legs even tighter around him, keeping him from pulling out, "Fuck, Rocket, please, please, please baby, give it to me, please, cum inside of me!"

That was it, that was what finally broke him. He cried out her name as he came deep within her, his seed covering her pulsating walls. The feeling of his fingers on her clit and becoming full of his seed was enough for her to cum as well. Her walls tightening onto Rocket's oversensitive cock as she cums, she cries his name over and over again until she finally reaches her end. 

They panted as their afterglows washed over them, Rocket's head resting on her belly as she unwrapped her legs from around him. Rocket's fur was wet with sweat and cum, he pulled out of her slowly and watched as his cum slipped from her. He shivered as he watched, cock twitching as the rest of his seed dripped onto the sheets. He looked up at Max, she was laying on the pillow with her arm draped over her forehead. Rocket smiled as he watched her chest slowly rise and fall, sweat glistening off of her breasts in the light of the lamp.

He crawled up to her and placed a kiss on her cheek, "You alright?"

She hummed and smiled as she looked up at him, "Yeah, I'm ok, what about you?"

He chuckled, "I'm fine, you were amazing."

"So were you," she whispered before leaning up to kiss him, "I love you, Rocket."

He smiled, "I love you too, Max."

She petted the fur on his cheek before sitting up and hopping off the bed, "Alright, I gotta go take a leak, I'll be back though."

Rocket chuckled as he rested his head on her pillow, "I'll be here."


	16. 4 Years Later (Sexual Contant)

Nebula gazed at the small wooden cabin, smoke slowly rising from the chimney as the clanging of metal against metal could be heard from the truck in front of her. It had taken her a while to find this place, the forest was dense which meant that she had to fly an extra couple of miles before she could land. When she did she then had to deal with the walking and all the stares and questions she received when entering the small town. That in itself took forever, asking people if they've seen a 'fox' with a red scarf and blue jumpsuit made people look at her as if she was insane.

That was until she met an older fellow with a gruff voice and dirty nails with a bullet wound in his shoulder. He told her about the cabin, saying that the girl who lived there might know where he was, hell, he might even be there. Nebula just nodded and walked off, hoping that the man was right and she didn't have to spend all day in the woods trying to find Rocket. 

She stared at the truck, the noise coming from it stopped only to be replaced with soft swears, the voice sounded familiar. She walked around the truck and stopped when she saw Rocket, sitting hunched over on the ground and rubbing his hand softly. He looked different from the last she had seen him, he seemed cleaner, less tense, had a little chubby, and his clothes were completely different. Instead of the jumpsuit and scarf she was used to, he was now wearing jeans and a brown t-shirt. 

Rocket's head snapped up when he sensed her presence, "Nebula?"

"Rocket," she answered with a nod.

"Wha-What're you doin' here?" He questioned as he stood to his feet.

"We need your help, Rocket," she answered bluntly.

"We?"

"The Avengers have found a way to get the Infinity Stones, they need as much help as they can in order to bring them back."

Rocket scoffed as he reached down and picked up the wrench that laid next to him, walking over to a case filled with tools and set it inside, "Infinity Stones, huh? And how're they goin' to get them back?"

Nebula was silent for a moment, "Time travel."

Rocket burst out into laughter, "Are you fuckin' jokin'!? Time travel!? How do they hell do they know it's even goin' to work?"

"Because they have tested it, Rocket," Nebula answered, "It works."

Rocket just scoffed and shook his head as he rummaged through his tools, "Even if it does work, I already went through all that shit once, I ain't goin' through it again."

"Rocket, if we do this we can bring everyone back," she paused for a moment, "We can bring back the Guardians, we can bring back Groot."

Rocket tensed at the name, the thought of his son coming back to him made his heart skip. He sighed and placed his hands on the small table in front of him.

"And this  _ will _ work?"

She nodded, "They have everything figured out, they just need you and Thor. They were hoping you would go talk to him, he seems to trust you."

He was silent for a moment as he thought about how if this worked then his family would come back, but if it didn't, then he could lose everything all over again, including Max. 

"Rocket!"

His head shot up as he heard the door to the cabin opened and Max emerged. She wore her grape purple satin bathrobe, her hair damp and her green eyes wide as she stared at Nebula. Max had matured a lot over the past four years, both physically and mentally. She had now fully recovered from her father's death and had even begun talking about having children with Rocket. 

She stood on the porch, arms wrapped around herself as she watched the two, "You must be Nebula, right?"

Nebula gave her a suspicious look, "Rocket, is this woman a friend of yours?"

He nodded, "Yeah, uh Maxie this is Nebula, Nebula, Maxie."

Max walked down the stairs of the porch and held out her hand as she gave a smile, "It's nice to finally meet you Nebula, Rocket has told me a lot about you."

Nebula stared at her hand cautiously before slowly shaking it, she was quick to pull away and stared down at Rocket, "Rocket, what is your decision?"

"Decision?" Max questioned as she stared down at Rocket.

Rocket winced, "Yeah, uh, I'm going to need to talk to Max about this. Go ahead and wait in the living room while we talk."

Nebula nodded and the three of them entered the cabin, Nebula watching as Max and Rocket made their way to the bedroom that used to belong to Max's father.

Max sat on the bed and watched as Rocket closed the door, his body tense and his eyes avoiding hers. 

"Rocket, what's wrong?" She questioned, her face riddled with concern.

He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck, "Max, Nebula needs my help, she uh, she said that the Avengers found a way to undo all of this shit."

Her eyes widened, "Seriously, how?"

"Time travel."

She looked down at him with confusion, "Time travel?"

"Yeah, I know it sounds ridiculous but it might work."

"Might or will?"

He was silent for a moment, "Well, I'm hopin' it will."

She shook her head, "There's no way in hell I'm going to let you go back in time and square up against Thanos if it only  _ might _ work."

"I don't think we'll be fightin' Thanos again, it'd be stupid to."

"Stupid is an understatement," she grumbled as she crossed her arms.

Rocket jumped up onto the bed and sat next to her, his hand resting on her arm.

"Maxie, listen to me, if we do this we could bring everyone back, including your father."

Her body tensed, she slowly turned to him, "But what if it doesn't?"

He was silent for a moment, "Then," he paused, "Then we don't. But we can't think like that, you have to trust me that this'll work."

"I do Rocket, I just don't trust the method you're using. I mean, time travel? Can't that fuck up the space-time continuum, and what if someone fucks something up and ends up totally altering our current reality?"

He shrugged, "That's just a risk we'll have to take, it's either that or we continue to live in a broken galaxy."

She sighed, "Rocket, I want my father to come back, but I don't want to lose you in the process."

He rested his hand on her cheek, "You won't, and if you do, feel free to go back in time and kill me."

She laughed as she gripped his hand, she kissed his palm and looked at him with concern, "If this is what you want, then go ahead, just promise you'll come back to me alive and in one piece."

He smiled, "I promise."

\-----

Rocket grunted as he finally managed to get his backpack zipped up. 

"Fuck, Max, think you put enough shit in this?" Rocket grumbled as he adjusted his goggles, now back in his old jumpsuit and scarf.

"Can never be too prepared," she smiled as she handed him his pistol. She frowned as she looked at him, fully dressed and ready to leave, "How long do you think you'll be gone?"

He shrugged, "I dunno, for you it'll probably be a day or so."

She laughed, "Should I expect an old man when you come back?"

He chuckled, "I sure as hell hope not, I wanna have kids before I get too old to."

"Well, if you get stuck in the past you have my permission to fuck someone."

"Thanks, Maxie," he smirked as he kissed her lips.

She cupped his cheeks, her fingers running through his fur. He began to deepen the kiss, his tongue sliding into her mouth and rubbing against hers causing her to let out a whimper.

"Shit, Rocket," she whispered as she pulled away.

He chuckled, a sly grin plastered onto his face, "What is it, Maxie, you horny for me?"

She scoffed, "Oh shut up Rocket, come on, you better get going."

"Oh no, no, no, I ain't done with you," he purred as he took her hand and led her to the bed.

"Rocket, Nebula is outside waiting for you, we can't-"

"Baldy can wait a couple of minutes, now lay on the bed."

She laughed, "A couple of minutes? How bold of you to assume you can get me to cum so quickly."

He chuckled as he hopped onto the bed, standing over her as she reluctantly laid down, "Oh baby, I know I can get you to cum in less than five."

"Really? I'd like to see you try."

Rocket growled, throwing open her robe to expose her bare breasts and panties. 

He licked his chops as he stared down, "Fuck, you're so fucking gorgeous."

Max whimpered as he licked her clothed womanhood, his hands grabbing the waistband before pulling them off completely. His mouth dove into her soft mound, moaning at the sweet smell she admitted. That's when he got an idea. He smirked as he stared up at her, her eyes shut as she moaned his name softly. He grabbed her panties and rubbed them against her wet hole.

Max's eye opened at the foreign feeling, she sat up on her elbows and stared down at him, "Rocket, what're you doing?"

"Just gettin' something to help me if I get homesick," he purred before pushing her panties inside of her tight cunt.

She whimpered, the texture feeling odd against her slick walls. It wasn't long before Rocket had her panties all the way inside of her. She arched her back as he suckled on her clit, wanting her to get the panties as wet as possible.

"F-Fuck, Rocket," she cried as she writhed against the bed.

He chuckled against her clit, "What is it baby, you gettin' close?"

"You, you wish," she panted before letting out a gasp as his canines nicked her sensitive nub.

Rocket groaned against her clit, his cock hard in his jumpsuit, he'd have to rub one out on the ship before they went to pick up Bruce. Her hips snapped upward into his mouth as he pushed against her, his hands on her hips, trying to pin her down.

"Fuck, fuck, Rocket," she whimpered.

"That's it, baby girl, that's it. Come on, I want you to cum on your panties, I fuckin' want you to drench them with your juices. Fuck baby, you taste so fucking good, fuck, come on baby, come on, do it for daddy, cum for daddy."

Her back arched almost painfully as she screamed out, "Fuck, oh fuck, Rocket, Rocket, oh Rocket!"

Her legs shook as her walls tightened around the panties, Rocket still sucking on her little nub until she was whimpering for him to stop. He let go with a soft 'pop,' staring at her pussy before placing a kiss onto her sensitive little nub one last time. She let out a soft moan as he pulled her panties out of her, he smirked as he stared down at them, thankful that they were black so he could see the fluid better. 

"Rocket," she whispered, trying to reach for his cock.

"No, no, Maxie," he gently pushed her hand away, "Like you said earlier, Nebula's waitin' for me."

"You asshole," she panted.

He merely chuckled and leaned down to kiss her, "You love me for it."

She smirked against his lips, "Sometimes," the only sound in the room was their labored breathing and soft moans. Rocket eventually pulled away, reluctant to leave her, "Rocket," she breathed, "Please come back to me."

He gave her a reassuring smile as he held her close to him, "I will, Maxie, I promise."


	17. Coming Home

Rocket sat against the wall of the Benatar's main room, watching as Peter glared at Thor from across the room as Thor laughed with Drax. An amused smile spreading across Rocket's face, Groot sat next to him, busy playing on his gamepad. It had been a hell of a week, but they did it, they managed to bring everyone back and kill Thanos. While Rocket still grieved from losing Gamora, his Gamora, he was thankful that he still had the rest of his family. 

"Quill," Rocket spoke up, causing Peter to look over at him, "We need to stop someplace, I gotta pick somethin' up."

Rocket got off his chair and headed to the control panel, Peter hot on his trail.

"Sure thing bud, where we going?"

"Back to New York," he responded as he typed in the coordinates.

Peter cocked his brow, "And you couldn't have picked it up earlier because...?"

"Because we were busy," he snapped, "What with Starks funeral and picking up fat boy over there," he said as he gestured to Thor.

"Right, right," Peter nodded, "So uh, you think I could take Thor?"

"No way in hell."

"What, why?!"

Rocket scoffed, "Why do you think, stupid, he's a God."

"I'm a celestial," Peter quickly replied.

" _ Were _ a celestial, now with Ego dead you're just a regular humie," with that Rocket returned to Groot's side.

Groot looked up from his gamepad to smile at him.

"I am Groot?"

"We're just going to pick up a friend, buddy, nothin' to worry about."

\----

"We couldn't have parked closer?" Peter sighed as they walked the trail.

"No, I ain't ruining the ship just because you're too lazy to walk," Rocket replied as he led the way.

"Why would you want to land closer, Quall, do you not love the smell of nature and the chirping of birds?" Thor questioned before taking a deep breath.

"It's Quill," he grumbled, "And yes I do, I just would rather not walk several miles."

"I am Groot?"

"We're almost there bud, just around this bend," Rocket replied.

"What are you picking up anyways, you couldn't have gotten it before retrieving the stones?" Peter asked.

"No I couldn't," he snapped, "In fact, I had to leave her in order to save your sorry ass."

"Her?" Peter questioned, "What do you mean by her?"

"You'll see," Rocket responded. 

Suddenly, his ears perked up as he heard barking in the distance. Rocket ran around the bend, Peter and the others following, stopping dead in their tracks when they came across the cabin. Rocket's heart skipped a beat and he smiled as he saw Max in the front yard, playing with a yellow lab. He couldn't help but stare at her, it felt like years since he had last seen her. Her curls were pulled into a loose ponytail, her arms covered by a cream knitted jacket, and her black jeans had dirt on them from playing with the dog in front of her, she looked as beautiful as the day he left.

When Max finally felt their gazes on her she turned to look, her eyes widened and a large smile forming on her face as she saw Rocket.

"Rocket!" She cried as she ran over to him.

She knelt onto the ground and pulled him into a tight hug, squeezing him tightly as if he'd vanish. Rocket hugged her back, enjoying the feeling of her warmth surrounding him. She pulled away and held him by his cheeks, staring into his red eyes before kissing him. He held onto her hands and kissed back, feeling so happy to be home.

"I am Groot?"

They broke the kiss and stared at the two men and tree behind them. Groot and Thor mainly look surprised as Peter had a vague look of disgust on his face. 

Rocket cleared his throat, "Oh right, uh, Quill, Thor, Groot, this is my wife, Max."

"Your wife!" Peter cried.

"Ah, well, it's certainly nice to meet a woman the dear rabbit has deemed worthy enough to be his bride, I am Thor, the god of thunder," Thor smiled as he offered Max his hand.

She smiled as she shook his hand, "Thank you, Thor, I've heard a lot about you, you uh, look a lot different in your pictures."

Thor laughed, "Well, five years of drinking mead and playing Fortnite will do that to you."

"I am Groot," Groot stepped forward and held out his hand.

"Groot, it's an honor to meet you, Rocket you never stop talking about you."

"I am Groot?" he grinned at Rocket.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, don't let it go to your head," Rocket rolled his eyes before looking over at Peter, he still wore his shocked expression, "Quill, stop standin' around like an idiot and say hello."

Peter snapped out of his haze, "Oh, right, right, sorry," he moved over to her and whispered, "Hey, I'm sorry about this, I just never expected to see a human get together with someone like, you know, Rocket."

Rocket growled as Max just smiled, "Oh no, I understand, it's definitely an odd pairing," she laughed, "Can't wait to hear what my dad will say."

As if on cue, the door to the cabin opened with a creak and out came an older man with a graying beard.

"Maxine, dinners ready," the older man said as he came out onto the porch, his face contorted in confusion as he looked at the visitors, "Who are you're friends?"

When Max introduced all of them to her father he was very surprised to see Thor and two aliens at his door, he was even more surprised when he found out one of those aliens married his daughter. His reaction was the same as Quills, but he quickly recovered and invited them in to eat. They sat together around the table, Max holding onto Rocket's hand tightly under the table, fearing that the action might make Peter and her father uncomfortable. 

"Rocket, would you mind sharing a beer with me outside, maybe have Max get more acquainted with your friends?" Her father said after he cleaned his mouth with his napkin.

"Oh, uh, yeah, of course," Rocket said as he jumped off the chair.

Max's father grabbed two beers from the fridge and went outside with Rocket, their yellow lab following close behind. Max watched as they left, worried about what her father would say to Rocket.

"So," he said as he sat on one of the porch chairs, "Max told me how the two of you met."

"Oh?" Rocket questioned.

"Yeah, can't say I'm too shocked, of course, someone like you would attract a lot of attention. Especially after what happened."

Rocket nodded slowly, unsure of what to say.

He turned to Rocket, studying him for a moment, "Do you love my daughter, Rocket?"

Rocket gave him an odd look, "Well, yeah, of course I do, why would I marry her if I didn't?"

He shrugged before taking a sip of his beer, "You never know. Are you still in love with her?"

"Um, yeah, I'm sorry but why are you asking me this?"

"Because I don't want Max to go through the same shit her mother and I went through," he snapped, "But from Max has told me you seem like you have your head screwed on right, for now at least."

They both sat in silence for a few minutes, watching the river as it slowly went by. Rocket had missed the river, there so many days he and Max would go fishing in it. Rocket always trying out new ways to catch fish, most of the time he did it with explosives much to Max's dismay. At the beginning of their relationship, the action even led to a few arguments. It would always end either in two ways, after a few hours of cooling off Rocket would either go and apologize to Max or she would go and apologize to Rocket. Some of their arguments would lead to makeup sex, most of the time it would be gentle and loving, but other times it'd be rough and almost animalistic. As much as Rocket loved to make love to Max, he did really enjoy it when he got to fully dominate her. 

"So, what're your plans now?" 

Rocket looked up at the older man, "I don't know, I was thinking that Max and I would go with the Guardians. She always wanted to explore the galaxy, I'd love to show it to her. But we also want to start a family so I don't know if exploring the galaxy would be the best idea for that."

He nodded, "Personally, I say you should go explore. It'll make the two of you closer and that's always been her dream, kids will only slow you down when it comes to that. Besides, your both still young, well, she is at least."

Rocket laughed, "I'm definitely older then I used to be."

His father-in-law chuckled, "Yeah I know how that is," he paused for a moment, his expression becoming serious, "I want to thank you for taking care of my daughter, I know she probably could've survived on her own but because of you she was able to live comfortably."

Rocket nodded, the guns that he had made to earn some money sold ended up selling at a high price. Max would take the guns to town and sell them to the hunters that came through, soon the entire town had guns made by Rocket. 

"Yeah, of course," he replied.

"You know," the older man started, "When I first saw you I thought my daughter was absolutely insane for marrying you, I'm sorry I thought that way. You seem like you really care about her."

Rocket nodded, "I do sir."

The man laughed, "Please, call me Jack."

\----

Jack grabbed two beers from the fridge and went outside with Rocket, their yellow lab following close behind. Max watched as they left, worried about what her father would say to Rocket.

"So... Rocket, huh?"

Max was snapped from her thoughts as Peter spoke to her, she turned to him and smiled, "Yup, Rocket."

"How did you come across our sweet rabbit?" Thor questioned before taking a bite of his pulled pork.

"We met about a year after the snap, while I was fishing I saw him washed up on the river bank, he was unconscious and had a bullet wound. He had made some enemies with some of the local hunters and they had been chasing him which led him to me."

Peter sighed, "Yup, that sounds like Rocket."

"I am Groot?"

Max looked at Groot and then to the others with a confused look.

"The tree is asking where the hunters are now," Thor answered.

She shrugged, "I don't know, Rocket shot one of them and ever since they've left us alone."

"So uh, question," Peter said before clearing his throat, "The whole raccoon thing doesn't bother you, like, at all?"

Max shook her head, "No, I understand why people would see me as crazy or a freak, but they have to understand that Rocket is more than a raccoon. If they knew all the shit he had to go through and how much he truly cares about people, they'd be more open about it, hopefully," she responded before taking a sip of her drink, "I mean, you know how sensitive Rocket can be."

Groot nodded as Peter shrugged, "I don't know, I haven't really seen too much of his sensitive side."

"I am Groot?"

"The tree is asking what you are planning to do now," Thor translated with a mouthful of meat.

Max shrugged, "I don't know, I was hoping to explore the galaxy with Rocket, but we've been talking about starting a family so I don't know if that would be the best idea."

"Well, if you chose to, you can always tag along with us, I'm sure the others won't mind having another member of the family," Peter said with a smile.

She smiled back at him, "Thank you, Peter."

Peter gave her a nod as the door opened to reveal Rocket and Jack, Rocket went over to Max and held her hand, "Maxie, we have to talk."

"Oh boy," she joked.

He laughed, "Don't worry, it ain't bad."

The group watched silently as Rocket and Max made their way to Max's old room. Once inside, Rocket closed the door shut before sitting on the bed next to Max.

"Maxie, now that everything is fixed, what do you want to do?" He questioned as he laid his hand on hers.

She shrugged, "Whatever you want, Rocket."

He laughed, "Maxie please, I know you want to go up and explore space."

Max grinned, "Then why ask?"

"Because I wanted to make sure that's what you want."

She pulled him close so he was flushed against her chest, "No matter where we go, as long as I'm with you I'm happy."

Rocket blushed, "Oh Jesus, Max, do you gotta be so damn cheesy?"

She merely laughed, "Only when it comes to you, Rocket."


	18. Stars

When the rest of the Guardians met Max they were just as surprised as the others were. Drax didn't hesitate on asking personal questions like 'how does one procreate with a beast,' to which he got an earful from both Rocket and Peter. Rocket's quarters were a little more cramped now that he had Max's things to deal with, but he could deal with it. When they first took off Max nearly had a heart attack, rushing up to the window of the Benatar to watch the Earth's surface become smaller and smaller. 

Rocket couldn't help but smile as he watched her from his chair, the shocked and amazed expression she held as she stared out at the depths of space warmed his heart.

"You think this is cool, wait until we get deeper into space. That's when you'll see the real amazing shit."

Max turned to Rocket and smiled, "I can't wait."

The first couple of days of sailing around space was a little hard for Max, harder then she thought it would be at least. When the reality sank in of them being out in the middle of nowhere and if their ship broke down they'd be stranded in the middle of space, it caused her stomach to churn. She threw up a few times due to space-sickness and it took her some time to adapt to always being surrounded by the darkened mass of space. She worried that maybe she had made a mistake, that maybe she should've stayed on Earth, but when she saw how happy Rocket seemed with the Guardians her worries disappeared.

She would watch as he and Quill would banter, how he'd joke around with Thor, how he would teach Mantis how to shoot, and how he would teach Groot how to build things and repair the ship. He was happy, happier then she had ever seen him. The Guardians were very welcoming to her, in their own ways. Nebula kept her distance but whenever she and Max would make eye contact she would give her a small nod before returning back to her task. Drax asked her lots of questions, most of them being about her relationship with Rocket but he quickly jumped off of that topic when he realized she was a hunter. He spent hours talking about his culture and how he would hunt with his people, all to which Max listened to in fascination. 

Drax laughed when she told him she used guns for hunting, he immediately grabbed his daggers and handed one to her, "A true warrior does not use guns, a true warrior uses a sword or dagger!" 

That's when he started to train her, he was rough and brutal at times, but it was all so she would get better and become used to the pain. He even once dislocated her shoulder just to pop it back into place. When Rocket heard about the incident he scolded Drax for being so rough, but Max still trained with him. Unlike the others Mantis was very shy, hesitating to talk to her and mainly stayed by Drax's or Nebula's side. After some time she finally began to open up, telling Max about her powers and how she used to live on Egos planet and tend to him. Max would help her with the meals and would tell her stories about Earth, Mantis' favorite stories being the fairytales. 

It had been about two weeks and they were still flying around in space. It was Rocket's turn to take the nightshift of piloting, everyone was in bed and he was left to his own devices. Rocket's ears perked up as he heard footsteps behind him, he turned and saw Max walking down the stairs over to him, her hair disheveled as she wore her satin robe.

"Hey sexy," Rocket joked as she rubbed her eyes and yawned.

"Shut up," she said groggily as she sat against his chair, "I only got about 15 minutes of sleep."

Rocket chuckled, "Missed me?"

Max replied with a sleepy grin, "Maybe."

Rocket smiled as he ran his hands through her hair, trying to untangle the knots, "Well, after tonight I'll be back in bed with you. Who knows, maybe we uh, can do some things."

"I don't know Rocket, I don't want the Guardians to hear us."

He laughed, "You mean hear you."

She nudged him, "Oh please, you can get pretty loud too," she smirked, "Especially when I take control and-"

"Alright, alright," he interrupted, his cheeks darkening, "We'll figure somethin' out."

Max chuckled and rested her head against his leg, feeling comforted by the way he played with her hair. They stared out into space, the stars twinkling in the distance as the ship let out a gentle hum. Max began to narrow her gaze as a green and orange light began to flicker in the distance. 

"Rocket, what is that?"

She looked up to see him smile as he stared out the window, "Just keep lookin'."

She turned back to the window, the colors began to come closer and soon reds, pinks, and purples started to collide with the original colors. The mist seemed to flicker as it passed by as if sparkles were embedded into every fiber of the mist. Max watched, her mouth agape as they passed through it, the mist's colors slowly turning into blues, whites, purples, and a type of cyan green. There were even some colors Max couldn't identify, she slowly stood to her feet and walked towards the glass, pressing her hand against it gently.

"Rocket, this is beautiful."

He just continued to smile as he watched, he had seen these mists plenty of times before, but when he was with her it felt brand new. 

"Maxie," he breathed, she looked over at him with a curious look, "Come here."

She did as he requested and came back to his side, he leaned up and kissed her gently, just a soft peck before pulling away.

"I love you."

She smiled down at him and cupped his cheek, "I love you too."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is the final chapter, I hope all of you enjoyed the story! I'm thinking about making a "sequel" and when I mean a sequel it'll probably just be a series of drabbles, most of them smut up some will be fluff. Let me know what you guys think, thank all of you so much for reading! <3


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